Goa nightclub’s co-owner Ajay Gupta tried hospital cover, faked spine issue to evade arrest

Ajay Gupta, who is now in police custody, allegedly pretended to have a spinal problem and checked into the Institute of Brain and Spine in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar.

Ajay Gupta, the co-owner of the Goa nightclub where a massive fire killed 25 people, was caught by police after he allegedly tried to avoid arrest by getting himself admitted to a Delhi hospital.

Gupta, who is now in police custody, allegedly pretended to have a spinal problem and checked into the Institute of Brain and Spine in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. His plan did not work, and police arrested him soon after, NDTV reported.

Gupta is one of the three partners of Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub in North Goa that caught fire on Saturday night.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 25 people, including five tourists and 20 staff members. His partners, brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, left for Phuket in Thailand just hours after the incident. Authorities are now working to bring them back to India for questioning.

According to the report, police began tracing Ajay Gupta soon after the fire, but he kept moving between different places and used his phone very little to avoid being tracked. By Monday, a lookout circular was issued, and police teams began searching several locations connected to him in Delhi.

Investigators say Gupta then went to the brain and spine hospital and got himself admitted, telling doctors he was suffering from a spinal issue. He allegedly planned to stay there for three to four days while deciding his next move.

However, officers from the Delhi Police Crime Branch, who are helping the Goa Police in the case, located him at the hospital and arrested him. Gupta will be presented in court and then taken to Goa for further investigation.

Speaking to media, Gupta claimed he was “just a partner” in the club and had no role in its day-to-day operations. But GST documents show that he and the Luthra brothers are listed as partners in the nightclub.