MUMBAI/PANAJI: According to investigators looking into the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane at Arpora in North Goa, which killed 25 people and injured several others, Ajay Gupta, the third partner was the real go-to man and fixer for the Luthra brothers – Gaurav and Saurabh, who did not come into the picture when ‘managing’ cops or panchayat officials or even politicians.
Sources in the Arpora-Nagoa panchayat claim that it was Ajay Gupta who negotiated all the ‘deals’ of behalf of the Luthras. It was he who decided who would get how much and the club paid monthly haftas to various departments including the Panchayat to look the other way. Ajay Gupta has applied for bail in the local court, but the court extended his police custody to ensure police to confront him with the Luthras during questioning.
The North Goa JMFC court sent the Luthras to five days police custody, giving investigators enough time to piece together how alleged safety lapses, illegal operations and managerial decisions contributed to the disaster. Cops probing the case can also confront the arrested staff with the owners to find out details of the club’s operations.
When they were presented in court for remand, the Luthras sought medical assistance, claiming health issues and requesting a mattress and some other benefits while in custody. Through their lawyer, P V Pavithran, they argued that Saurabh suffered from a spinal disc problem while Gaurav had a tailbone fracture and asked for a mattress, blanket and fan. Judicial magistrate Puja Sardesai directed the police to take both men to the North Goa District Hospital for a medical examination to evaluate their claims.
Doctors at the District Hospital declared them fit for general police lockup, following which the court rejected their demand for special facilities in the lock-up. Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi, who lost four family members in the fire, said the accused were seeking “special consideration” despite the nature and scale of the tragedy.
He said the court had taken note that the case involved the deaths of 25 people and refused to grant any additional comfort to the accused.
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