Goa nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane’s owners flee to Thailand after deadly fire; probe reveals illegal operations and major lapses

The two owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a massive fire on Saturday night have fled to Thailand, police said on Tuesday. According to investigators, the owners boarded an early morning IndiGo flight just hours after the blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, prompting authorities to widen the search and alert international agencies.

The incident has now exposed a chain of alleged violations and regulatory failures surrounding the nightclub, which local authorities claim had been operating illegally for nearly a year.

In a conversation with CNBC-TV18, Arpora sarpanch Roshan Redkar confirmed that the establishment did not possess the mandatory panchayat permissions and had been served demolition orders earlier. “The property was already under a land dispute. Operations of the club were never approved,” Redkar said, adding that families with the surnames Khosla and Luthra — linked to a sister concern of the Romeo Lane brand — had repeatedly complained about illegal construction and commercial activity on the premises.

Despite the standing orders and ongoing dispute, the club continued to operate.

Adding to the controversy is the fire department’s No Objection Certificate (NOC), which local legal experts say should never have been issued. A lawyer based in Arpora told CNBC-TV18 that the NOC was “non-compliant with critical safety rules,” particularly pointing out an illegally built mezzanine-floor kitchen with no emergency exit. The obstruction of escape routes is believed to be a key factor behind the high casualty count, with several staff members unable to flee the premises.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed an FIR has been registered against the owner and general manager. In a statement on X, he said that six injured victims are stable and undergoing treatment. Calling it the first tragedy of such scale in the state’s nightlife sector, he announced a magisterial inquiry to determine accountability and identify the failures that led to the incident.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire began on the first floor and spread rapidly, with narrow exits and congested pathways trapping people inside. “Some of them rushed to the ground floor and got trapped there,” Sawant stated.

With the main accused leaving the country within hours of the tragedy, the case has taken an international turn, intensifying scrutiny on regulatory violations, disputed land ownership and enforcement gaps that allowed the nightclub to operate despite multiple warnings.