NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached immovable properties valued at Rs 11.01 crore in connection with an ongoing investigation relating to the illegal operation of the “Birch by Romeo Lane” nightclub at Arpora, Goa.
A fire at the nightclub in Goa’s Arpora on December 6 last year killed 25 people, including five tourists.
The brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who ran the club, had fled India; however, they were traced and detained in Thailand and thereafter deported back to India.
ED has attached properties under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The federal probing agency initiated investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by Goa Police at Anjuna Police Station and Mapusa Police Station against Saurabh Luthra and others under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The FIRs pertain not only to the major fire incident, which resulted in the death of 25 persons and injuries to several others, but also to offences involving forgery of documents, including fake and fabricated No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and other statutory documents used for obtaining regulatory approvals.
Investigation under PMLA revealed that the establishment was being operated by GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP without obtaining mandatory statutory approvals, including Fire NOC.
The partners of the establishment had allegedly submitted forged and fabricated documents, including a fake Health NOC and a forged Police Clearance Certificate, for obtaining licences and projecting the illegal establishment as legitimate.
The investigation further revealed that the partners, in connivance with each other, knowingly continued commercial operations despite the absence and expiry of mandatory licences.
The trade licence of the establishment had expired on March 31, 2024 and was not renewed; however, the establishment continued to operate thereafter.
Investigation under PMLA has further revealed that the establishment generated total revenue of approximately Rs. 29.78 crore during the period from FY 2023–24 to FY 2025–26 till December 6, 2025, which has been identified as Proceeds of Crime under the provisions of PMLA.
Earlier, during the course of investigation, searches were conducted on January 23, 2026 at various premises linked to the subject entity, resulting in seizure of incriminating documents, digital devices and freezing of bank accounts amounting to approximately Rs. 59 Lakh.
Earlier, a Provisional Attachment Order amounting to approximately Rs 17.45 crores had been issued in the said case.
With the latest attachment and freezing, the total attachment/freezing in the case now stands at approximately Rs. 29.05 crore, the agency said.
