“I Was Just a Sleeping Partner” — North Goa Nightclub Co-Owner Detained in Fire Probe

New Delhi: Ajay Gupta, one of the co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora, has been taken into custody in Delhi in connection with the devastating fire that claimed 25 lives at the club. Gupta, who was on the run for two days, insisted he had no operational role in the business and described himself as a “sleeping partner.”

Speaking to NDTV during questioning, Gupta said, “I was a mere sleeping partner and had no role. I was unaware of the lapses at the nightclub,” placing responsibility squarely on the primary owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra. The Luthra brothers reportedly fled to Phuket, Thailand, hours after the tragedy, and an Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued against them.

Gupta, brother of Amit Gupta — a Delhi builder murdered in Burari two years ago — was briefly admitted to a private hospital in Lajpat Nagar due to a spinal condition before being taken into custody by Goa Police on Tuesday night. Authorities are seeking transit remand to bring him to Goa for further questioning.

Investigators are examining Gupta’s financial transactions with the Luthra brothers as part of the broader probe. The FIR against the club states it was operating without mandatory licenses, and that a fire show was allegedly conducted without proper safety equipment. Cases have been registered under culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence, and acts endangering public safety.