NEW DELHI: Goa police said the brothers purchased seats on a Phuket-bound flight at 1.17 am on December 7, even as firefighters and local authorities were struggling to contain the flames and rescue staff at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, North Goa.
By 5.30 am, they were airborne on IndiGo flight 6E-1073. Goa DGP Alok Kumar described their rapid exit as “a clear attempt to evade investigation.”In the days since, the brothers have approached a Delhi court seeking four weeks of transit anticipatory bail, claiming they left for Thailand for work purposes, not to slip away from the law. Filing their plea in Rohini court on Wednesday, they asserted through their counsel, “We want to come back,” and said they do not handle the nightclub’s daily operations.A beach shack owned by the brothers — who also run the Arpora club — is now set to be demolished, according to reports citing Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant.Despite their departure, Saurabh posted a message online expressing “profound grief” and “unwavering solidarity” with families of the victims. Soon after, the Bureau of Immigration issued Look Out Circulars for both men.A Goa police team reached Delhi on Sunday with an arrest warrant and searched their homes and offices but found no trace of them. Immigration officials in Mumbai later confirmed they had already left India. The court, meanwhile, declined to grant them interim relief and listed their anticipatory bail plea for Thursday.The investigation in Goa is underway. Four staff members of Birch, chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, and general manager Vivek Singh, have been arrested and remanded to six days’ custody. Three suspended Goa government officials have also been summoned.
