MAPUSA
A Mapusa court on Monday extended the police custody of the Luthra brothers, the Delhi-based owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, by four days in connection with the fatal fire tragedy at the club.
The accused will now be produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mapusa, on December 26.
Police sought additional custody to probe allegations that forged documents were submitted by the Luthra brothers to obtain statutory permissions for the nightclub. Mapusa Police have also moved for transit custody of the accused.
Meanwhile, Ajay Gupta, co-owner of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
Counsel for the victims, advocate Vishnu Joshi, informed that it had emerged during the investigation that the trade licence obtained by the Luthra brothers was allegedly secured using forged documents.
He stated that a fresh FIR under sections pertaining to cheating and forgery would be registered and that police would seek a separate remand of the Luthra brothers in the new case.
Joshi further claimed that a police verification certificate issued in Delhi in favour of Ajay Gupta was also found to be forged, as confirmed by Delhi Police, and indicated that a third FIR could be lodged against the Luthra brothers.
Alleging a pattern of forgery dating back to the period when the nightclub was being planned, Joshi said the accused had shown a complete disregard for public safety and the lives lost in the incident, most of whom were employees of the establishment.
The victims’ counsel also said that they would seek the intervention of central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax Department, to investigate the financial affairs of the accused.
He alleged that the Luthra brothers own 42 companies, several of which could be shell entities, and called for a probe into the utilisation of funds generated through these firms.
