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| Goa nightclub blaze: ED attaches fresh assets worth Rs 11 cr | | | Early Times Report
NEW DELHI, May 27: The Enforcement Directorate has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 11 crore as part of its money laundering investigation into the illegal operation of a Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a massive fire in December last year.
The latest provisional attachment of immovable properties was made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the case against 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, the ED said in a statement on Wednesday.
The agency did not identify the owners of the assets attached as part of the latest order. With the latest action, the total attachment and freezing in the case has risen to Rs 29.05 crore, the statement said. In April, the agency had attached assets worth Rs 17.45 crore linked to the case.
A devastating fire broke out at the nightclub on December 6, 2025, during a dance party, killing 25 people and injuring several others.
The ED investigation stems from FIRs registered by the Goa Police at Anjuna and Mapusa police stations against promoter brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra and others under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIRs relate not only to the fire incident but also to alleged forgery of documents, including fake and fabricated no-objection certificates (NOCs) and other statutory papers used to obtain regulatory approvals.
According to the ED, the establishment was operated by Being GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP without mandatory statutory clearances, including a fire NOC.
"The partners of the establishment had allegedly submitted forged and fabricated documents, including a fake Health NOC and forged Police Clearance Certificate, for obtaining licences and projecting the illegal establishment as legitimate," the agency alleged.
The ED claimed that the partners continued commercial operations despite the absence and expiry of mandatory licences. The trade licence of the nightclub had expired on March 31, 2024, and was never renewed, but operations allegedly continued thereafter.
The agency said the nightclub generated around Rs 29.78 crore in revenue between financial years 2023-24 and 2025-26 till December 6, 2025, which has been identified as "proceeds of crime" under the anti-money laundering law.
The ED had conducted searches on January 23 at premises linked to the case in Goa, Delhi and Haryana, leading to the seizure of "incriminating" documents and digital devices and freezing of bank accounts containing about Rs 59 lakh.
The Luthra brothers had fled to Thailand hours after the fire broke out. They were later deported to India on December 17 and arrested by the Goa Police. |
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