GOA: Within three hours of the inferno that tore through Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa’s Arpora — killing 25 people during a packed Saturday-night performance — owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra slipped out of the country through Delhi airport.By 5.30am Sunday, the brothers were airborne, headed to Phuket on IndiGo flight 6E-1073, Goa DGP Alok Kumar revealed on Monday, calling their swift exit “a clear attempt to evade investigation”.

Even as Saurabh posted a sombre message on social media expressing “profound grief” and “unwavering solidarity” with victims’ families, the Bureau of Immigration issued a LookOut Circular for both brothers. Goa Police, coordinating with Interpol, says it now wants them in custody “at the earliest”.Also read: The ‘burning’ Luthra empire

The hunt begins

Goa police on Tuesday issued a blue corner notice through Interpol, aiming to track, identify, and provisionally detain the brothers while extradition proceedings are considered.A Goa police team reached Delhi on Sunday armed with an arrest warrant, searched the Luthras’ residences and offices — but found nothing. Hours later, immigration authorities in Mumbai confirmed the truth: the brothers had bolted.Delhi Police’s crime branch detained senior Romeo Lane executive Bharat Kohli from north Delhi and handed him to Goa Police on transit remand. Another Delhi-based partner, Ajay Gupta, is now on the radar.Also read: Crowd grooves to Sholay’s ‘Mehbooba’ as flames erupt in backgroundMeanwhile, four arrested Birch staffers — chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania and general manager Vivek Singh — were remanded to six days’ custody. Three suspended Goa government officials have also been summoned.

Investigators say electric firecrackers, set off during a belly-dance performance, shot into the club’s wooden ceiling, triggering the blaze that ripped through the first-floor structure packed with 150 guests.

Rise of an empire built on speed — and cracks

To the Luthras, their empire was a decade-long dream that began in Delhi’s Hudson Lane with Mama’s Buoi — a cosy student-favourite. But it was Romeo Lane that turned them into nightlife royalty. What began as a modest Civil Lines spot exploded into a roaring, post-Covid success in Vagator, Goa, drawing tourists with sea views, fire dancers, Bollywood nights and big-budget spectacle.Their brand became so coveted that malls from Indore and Nagpur to Agra and Dehradun queued up to house a Romeo Lane outlet. Developers offered to cover construction. Franchisees paid hefty fees and royalties. Expansion was relentless: 25+ outlets in India, one in Dubai, and nearly 25 more in the works.Also read: What makes nightclubs a recipe for disasterBehind the scenes, Saurabh was the flamboyant, aggressive face; Gaurav, the quieter engineer-turned-operator. Their paralysed father, Vijay Luthra, remained the family anchor.But rapid growth came with strain. Franchisees complained of being left unattended after signing expensive contracts. Several outlets allegedly suffered losses. Industry insiders say the empire ballooned faster than the brothers could control.

A tragedy that cracked the façade

Local panchayat authorities have now flagged major violations at Birch — a property the brothers touted as “India’s first island bar”. The outlet, functional since March 2024, reportedly lacked key safety clearances. Questions rage: Why were these not flagged earlier? Who allowed a kitchen in the basement? Why did enforcement wake up only after 25 people died?In Delhi, murmurs have grown louder. Some franchise partners say they may discard the Romeo Lane brand name entirely. Restaurateurs say the brothers owe the industry — and the families of the dead — an in-person explanation, not a social media statement.From a brand that once epitomised India’s booming nightlife, Romeo Lane now stands at a precipice — its future hostage to an escape in the night, a trail of unanswered questions, and a tragedy that India won’t forget soon.

Nagpur: There are almost 12 lakh (11.88 lakh) stray dogs in Maharashtra’s urban areas, with 90,757 in Mumbai alone. This information was shared in a written reply by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in the legislative assembly on Tuesday. He was quoting a report published by the Union ministry of health and environmental welfare on the deaths due to rabies from dog bites in Maharashtra.Attacks by stray dogs have emerged as a matter of concern across the country. Last month, following a Supreme Court order directing that stray dogs be removed from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, the state UD department issued orders to tackle the menace of strays. In an order, the state govt said that strays must be captured, sterilised, vaccinated, and dewormed.Shinde’s reply followed a calling attention motion moved by MLAs Atul Bhatkhalkar, Chetan Tupe, Suresh Bhole, Jitendra Awhad, Yogesh Sagar, and Mangesh Chavan, among others. The reply indicated that there was a slight increase in rabies caused by dog bites; as against seven death cases recorded in 2022, 14 were recorded in 2023, and 14 in 2024.Experts have maintained that the only way to reduce rabies deaths is to vaccinate the dogs. While Mumbai has done well in this regard, other cities and towns lag. According to Shinde’s statement, 2,33,257 dogs were neutered in 29 municipal corporations and 50,844 in 395 municipal councils/nagar panchayats in 2024-25.“There are eight animal birth control centres (ABC) in Mumbai and 105 ABC centres in the 29 municipal corporations in the state,” the statement said. The urban development department has implemented the recommendations of Section 13 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, and the implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, framed by the Centre in all the municipal corporations/municipalities/nagar panchayats.As per these rules, an Animal Birth Control Monitoring Committee has been established at the local level through the urban local bodies. Also, the Animal Welfare Board of India has announced the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) dated in Nov, and guidelines for setting up shelters for stray dogs as per the SOP have been given to all the urban local bodies, Shinde said in his reply.The order also states that all civic bodies should catch stray dogs and provide shelters for them. There must be designated places for feeding stray dogs. “Places for feeding stray dogs should be designated in the municipal corporation/municipality/nagar panchayat area, and it should be ensured that stray dogs are fed at the same place. Penal action should be taken against those who feed them in other open places,” the order states.