The catastrophic fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa, which killed 25 people in the early hours of Sunday, has rapidly evolved into one of the state’s most high-profile criminal investigations in recent years. As the Goa Police continue to piece together the events leading up to, during, and after the blaze, a chilling timeline has emerged—one that suggests the club’s owners, the Luthra brothers, were planning their escape even as rescue teams were still battling flames and pulling victims from the charred remains of the structure.

According to details released by the Goa Police on Wednesday, brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra booked tickets to Phuket, Thailand, at exactly 1:17 am on Sunday, barely ninety minutes after the first distress call about the fire was received. The sequence of events has raised pressing questions about what the owners knew, when they knew it, and whether they attempted to flee the country in an effort to evade accountability for the tragedy.

The fire is believed to have broken out at approximately 12:04 am on Sunday, engulfing the club where around 100 guests had gathered for a late-night weekend party. The first distress call, dialed at 11:45 pm on Saturday, marked the beginning of a night of chaos as fire and emergency services rushed to the spot. Despite hours of effort, 25 lives were lost in the blaze, including both staff members and visitors.

Meanwhile, as flames consumed the building, police and fire personnel were engaged in a full-scale rescue operation that continued until 6 am. It was during the very early stages of those operations that the Luthra brothers made their move. The police statement disclosed that the pair purchased their international flight tickets on the MakeMyTrip platform at 1:17 am. By 5:30 am, they were reportedly airborne, having boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 from New Delhi to Phuket.

In a strongly worded statement, Goa Police Public Relations Officer Nilesh Rane outlined the timeline, asserting that as first responders were still attempting to save those trapped inside the nightclub, the accused were already preparing to abscond. Rane’s remarks were aimed at countering allegations circulating in some political and social circles that the brothers had been “assisted” in leaving the country.

According to Rane, there is no evidence to support claims of a coordinated or facilitated escape. The police insisted that the accused departed even before authorities could grasp the full gravity of the tragedy. “The allegation of an assisted escape is completely false. Goa Police and all assisting agencies were at the site throughout the night until 6:00 AM carrying out rescue operations, dousing the fire, and recovering the victims. The accused left on a 5:30 AM flight, meaning they fled immediately after learning of the incident and before the scale of the tragedy was even known,” the statement read.

The police further confirmed that the fire and emergency services had arrived at the nightclub shortly after midnight and remained deployed at the location till dawn. During that time, the firefighters and police personnel worked in harsh and dangerous conditions, navigating dense smoke, collapsing structures, and mounting casualties.

The Luthra brothers, meanwhile, managed to leave India before any lookout circular or detention order could be issued. Their departure has now prompted the Goa Police to initiate international coordination through INTERPOL to trace and arrest them in accordance with legal procedures. This move follows mounting pressure from both the public and political leaders who are demanding accountability for the deaths.

While five members of the nightclub’s staff and Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthras, have already been arrested, the owners—considered the prime accused—remain out of reach. The arrests so far include personnel believed to have been responsible for managing the club’s operations on the night of the fire, including safety measures, staff supervision, and ensuring compliance with fire safety regulations. The Goa Police have indicated that multiple angles are being probed, including possible negligence, violation of safety protocols, and operating without proper licensing or clearances.

In Delhi, the Luthra brothers have taken legal steps to protect themselves from imminent arrest. They approached a Delhi court seeking transit anticipatory bail, arguing that they had reason to fear arrest by the Goa Police upon their return to India. However, the court denied them interim relief and deferred the hearing of their anticipatory bail applications to the next day. Their legal team has claimed that the brothers did not own the nightclub in question and acted solely as licensees. This argument appears to be part of a broader defense strategy aimed at absolving them of direct responsibility for the conditions that may have caused or contributed to the deadly fire.

Despite these assertions, public sentiment has hardened against the brothers. The timeline of events, especially their swift departure from the country while bodies were still being recovered from the wreckage, has fueled a perception that they were attempting to evade legal consequences. Social media platforms have been flooded with posts expressing anger, disbelief, and grief, with many calling for stringent action against those responsible.

This tragedy has also sparked renewed scrutiny of Goa’s nightlife industry, which has long been an important pillar of the state’s tourism economy. Critics argue that lax enforcement of safety regulations, combined with a culture of impunity among some establishment owners, has contributed to an unsafe environment in many clubs and entertainment venues. In the wake of the fire, authorities are expected to conduct widespread inspections and impose stricter compliance requirements.

The death toll of 25, one of the highest in such an incident in recent Goan history, has also triggered discussions at the political level. Opposition parties have demanded a transparent investigation, accountability from all involved, and an audit of how the club was allowed to operate. Meanwhile, the state government faces questions about whether enough oversight was in place to prevent such a disaster.

As the investigation progresses, much will depend on whether the Luthra brothers can be located, detained, and brought back to India. The involvement of INTERPOL signals the seriousness with which the authorities are pursuing them, but extradition or deportation cases often take time and hinge on cooperation from foreign jurisdictions.

For now, the picture that emerges is one of a devastating accident compounded by an attempted escape that has deeply angered the public. The events of that night, especially the two-hour window in which the fire erupted and the brothers booked their flight tickets, will likely become a central element in both the legal case and the broader public discourse surrounding the tragedy.