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Goa fire: Police seek Blue Corner notice as property owner remains at large
The Goa police said efforts to contact Surinder Kumar Khosla, 76, a UK citizen, have remained futile
PANAJI: The Goa police have initiated the process to issue a Blue Corner Notice against Surinder Kumar Khosla, the owner of the property which housed the nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, where a deadly fire on December 6 killed 25 people.
Khosla, 76, who is a UK citizen, has till date not responded to notices issued by the police at his registered address and efforts to contact him or ascertain his whereabouts have remained futile, officials said.
“This step is being taken to ascertain his whereabouts and to secure his presence for [the] investigation,” said a statement issued by police.
Khosla had leased the premises to Being GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP, a limited liability partnership in which Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta are listed as partners, in November 2023 and the Luthra brothers launched a nightclub under the name Birch by Romeo Lane in early 2024.
In April 2024, following a complaint, the Arpora village panchayat issued a notice to Khosla, asking him to demolish the illegal structures. However, the notice was stayed on appeal to the director of Panchayats.
Meanwhile, the Goa Police have sought more time to reply to bail applications filed by Ajay Gupta and Bharat Singh Kohli, the business partner and operations manager, respectively.
Gupta, whose police custody was extended by four days on Thursday, has moved court for bail citing health concerns and has also claimed that he has no say in the daily operations of the partnership firm and his role is limited to being an investor. However, police have said that his claim is not backed by documents submitted as part of regulatory filings, that the police have since seized.
