Who is Ajay Gupta? Another key accused and ‘sleeping partner’ linked to the Goa nightclub where the deadly fire took place

Goa Police on Tuesday detained Ajay Gupta, who is believed to be linked with the Luthra brothers — the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub where a horrific fire killed 25 people. Earlier in the day, police had already issued a Look Out Circular for Gupta and another man, Surinder Kumar Khosla. A senior officer said both men came under the scanner soon after the club’s owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, fled to Thailand after the incident.

Who is Ajay Gupta?

Ajay Gupta is a businessman from Delhi and one of the four partners of GS Hospitality Arpora LLP, the company that operates the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa. The club is part of the well-known Romeo Lane chain from Delhi and works as a bar, restaurant and nightlife venue.

Ajay Gupta was a “sleeping partner” i.e. a silent investor in the nightclub where the deadly fire took place, along with the missing owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra. A GST record reviewed by NDTV shows that Gupta was officially a partner in the business run by the Luthra brothers.

Reportedly, the police began looking for Gupta soon after the fire, but he kept changing locations and staying out of sight. By Monday, a lookout circular had been issued, and officers started checking places connected to him. They later learned that he was constantly on the move and using his phone very rarely so that he could not be traced.

On Tuesday, Gupta allegedly tried to avoid arrest by pretending he had a spine problem. He checked himself into the Institute of Brain and Spine in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. His driver brought him there in an Innova with a Haryana number plate. But the plan didn’t work, and police still managed to detain him.

Gupta came into the spotlight after a massive fire broke out at the club on December 6, killing 25 people  most of them employees and injuring over 50 others. The blaze began around 11:45 PM during a crowded weekend event. Investigators say the fire was likely triggered by indoor fireworks that were used carelessly in a zone with poor fire safety, insufficient emergency exits and missing or invalid clearances.

How many people have been arrested in the Goa fire case?

Till now, Goa Police have taken five people into custody. Those arrested include the nightclub’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, gate manager Riyanshu Thakur and staff member Bharat Kohli.

The owners of the club — brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra — left India(BHARAT) just hours after the fire. Police received the first emergency call around 12:04 am on Sunday. By 5:30 am, the brothers had already boarded an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Phuket, Thailand.

Goa Police said the two men travelled on IndiGo flight 6E 1073 on December 7, which reached Phuket a little after 11 am.

When officers went to their Delhi residence on Monday, they found that the brothers were already out of the country. A look-out notice had been issued for them through the Bureau of Immigration on Sunday evening.