Goa nightclub fire: Court remands ‘co-owner' Ajay Gupta in 7-day police custody

A court in Goa on Thursday sent Ajay Gupta, who claimed to be a silent partner and investor in the fire-ravaged ‘Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, to police custody for seven days.

Gupta was brought to Goa from Delhi on Wednesday night on a transit remand for questioning. He was taken to Anjuna police station for further investigation, an official had said.

Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the facility in North Goa around midnight on December 6.

Earlier, a Look Out Circular (LOC) had been issued against Gupta.

Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire that broke out at the nightclub located in Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6.

Brothers and co-owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who had left for Phuket in Thailand shortly after the fire incident, have been detained there, according to officials. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice had been issued against them.