Emergency call at 11:45 pm, Thailand tickets through MMT at 1:17 am: Police details how Luthra brothers planned escape as Goa club burnt

Even as Saurabh took to social media to share a sombre note expressing his “deep sorrow” and “solidarity” with the families of the victims, the Bureau of Immigration moved swiftly and issued a Look Out Circular against both brothers.

Dec 11, 2025 - 09:00

Emergency call at 11:45 pm, Thailand tickets through MMT at 1:17 am: Police details how Luthra brothers planned escape as Goa club burnt

As firefighters struggled to contain the blaze at a popular Goa nightclub shortly after midnight on Sunday, its owners i.e. brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were already preparing an escape to Phuket, Thailand. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Goa Police said the duo booked their flight tickets at 1:17 am on Sunday, barely ninety minutes after the fire erupted at Birch by Romeo Lane in North Goa.

The first emergency call from the club came in at 11:45 pm. The fire broke out during the late hours of Saturday, spilling into Sunday, when nearly 100 people were inside the premises. The devastating inferno claimed the lives of 25 people.

“The investigation has revealed that the Luthra brothers booked their Thailand tickets on the MMT platform at 1:17 am on December 7. Even as Goa Police and Fire Services were working to control the blaze and rescue those trapped inside, the accused were making arrangements to flee the country,” HT reported police PRO Nilesh Rane as saying.

While five staffers and Ajay Gupta – a business associate of the Luthras – have been taken into custody, the two brothers remain on the run. Investigators found that their tickets to Thailand were booked through the MakeMyTrip platform.

By 5.30am Sunday, the brothers were airborne, headed to Phuket on IndiGo flight 6E-1073, Goa DGP Alok Kumar revealed on Monday, calling their swift exit “a clear attempt to evade investigation”.

Police deny ‘assisted escape’ allegations

Refuting claims that the two were helped in escaping, the police said such allegations were “entirely baseless.” According to the statement, Goa Police and supporting agencies remained on-site until 6 am, focused on extinguishing the blaze, pulling survivors out, and recovering bodies.

“The accused boarded a 5:30 am flight — they left almost immediately after the fire broke out and well before the full extent of the tragedy became clear,” the police said.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Wednesday declined to grant any temporary protection to the brothers, noting that their plea would be taken up on Thursday. The inferno at the Goa nightclub has so far claimed at least 25 lives, including both tourists and staff members. *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:6bb2e7f4-aded-47dc-8b01-b87df0c2ecbe-2" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="assistant">

Even as Saurabh took to social media to share a sombre note expressing his “deep sorrow” and “solidarity” with the families of the victims, the Bureau of Immigration moved swiftly and issued a Look Out Circular against both brothers. Goa Police, now working closely with Interpol, has said it is pushing to bring the duo into custody “as soon as possible.”