New Delhi, Jan 25 The ED conducted searches at nine premises in Delhi, Gurugram and Goa as part of a probe against the Luthra brothers, operators of a Goa club where 25 people were killed in a fire in December 2025, and seized incriminating documents and digital devices, an official said on Sunday.
The probe agency also froze some bank accounts of group entities linked to Delhi-based restaurateurs Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra after detecting foreign remittances, said an ED statement.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office, conducted the search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The premises searched by investigators included those of the Sarpanch and the Secretary of Arpora-Nagao Panchayat, in connection with an ongoing investigation against Saurabh Luthra and others.
Evidence relating to foreign remittances routed through group entities was also unearthed during the searches, and possible contraventions of relevant laws are being examined, the ED said in a statement.
Further investigation revealed that funds amounting to crores of rupees, generated from the illegal operation of the establishment, were diverted to personal bank accounts of individuals as well as to accounts of other group entities, the ED said.
The searches formed part of an investigation into alleged money-laundering activities linked to the owners of the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, Goa, where a tragic fire incident occurred on December 6, 2025, resulting in the death of 25 people.
The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of two FIRs registered by the Goa Police, which contain certain scheduled offences under the PMLA.
The searches have revealed serious irregularities in statutory compliance, including the procurement of licences based on forged documents and the continued operation of commercial activities despite the absence of mandatory approvals from competent authorities.
During the course of the search operations, it was revealed that the entity operating Birch by Romeo Lane generated revenue amounting to Rs 22 Crore (approx.) during FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25, said the ED.
This revenue, prima facie, is suspected to constitute Proceeds of Crime, as the club was functioning without the necessary statutory licences and based on forged No Objection Certificates/licences from various departments, said the statement.
Various incriminating documents and digital devices relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized during the searches. In addition, bank accounts of persons and entities suspected to be involved in holding Proceeds of Crime have been frozen under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002, it said.
The investigation is also focused on examining any possible corruption angle and subsequent laundering of Proceeds of Crime by other persons involved (two such persons having been recently arrested by the Goa Police).
--IANS
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