Ajay Gupta: Gurugram-Based 'Sleeping Partner' Arrested After Deadly Goa Nightclub Fire

Ajay Gupta attempted to evade arrest by claiming a spine condition.

New Delhi:

Ajay Gupta, co-owner of the 'Birch' by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives, has been apprehended following the issuance of a lookout notice. He is scheduled to appear before the Saket court soon, with Goa police requesting his transit remand. Once granted, he will be transported to Goa for further questioning.

Ajay Gupta is a businessman based in Delhi who resides in Gurugram, according to sources. He functioned as a 'sleeping' partner (silent investor) in the ill-fated nightclub, alongside the now-fugitive Luthra brothers - Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra.

A GST document obtained by NDTV verifies Gupta's business relationship with the Luthra siblings.

Sources indicate that police began tracking Gupta immediately following the fire incident, but he had gone into hiding. By Monday, authorities had issued a lookout circular and commenced searching locations connected to him. Officials discovered that he was constantly moving and minimizing phone usage to avoid detection.

In an attempt to avoid arrest, Gupta feigned a spine problem and admitted himself to the Institute of Brain and Spine in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar on Tuesday. His driver transported him to the medical facility in an Innova vehicle bearing Haryana registration plates. However, his scheme proved unsuccessful.

Goa police subsequently arrested him at the hospital.

When confronted by NDTV during his arrest, Gupta stated, "I was only a sleeping partner with the Luthras, nothing else."

The Luthra brothers fled to Phuket, Thailand on an IndiGo flight at 5:30 am Sunday - merely hours after the tragedy occurred. They were in Delhi when the incident unfolded. Authorities have issued a Blue Corner Notice against them - part of Interpol's color-coded alert system that enables international sharing of information requests.

They face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence, and endangering public safety.

Sources reveal that the Luthras have submitted a petition for anticipatory bail in Delhi's Rohini Court to prevent arrest. The court is expected to hear their petition today.