Law Notify : The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out searches at multiple locations in Delhi and Goa in connection with the Goa nightclub fire case, intensifying its probe into an alleged money-laundering nexus linked to the illegal operation of the establishment.
According to the agency, the searches began early in the morning and are being conducted at eight to nine premises. The action is focused on examining financial transactions and regulatory violations connected to the nightclub fire in Goa that claimed 25 lives on December 6 last year.
Among the locations searched are the residential and office premises of the Luthra brothers and Ajay Gupta, the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, the nightclub located at Arpora in North Goa. ED teams are also conducting searches at premises in Outram Lines at Kingsway Camp in Delhi and Tatvam Villas in Gurugram.
In Goa, the agency has searched the residences of Roshan Redkar, the then sarpanch, and Raghuvir Bagkar, the panchayat secretary. Both are accused of facilitating the issuance of illegal trade licences and no-objection certificates that allegedly enabled the nightclub to function unlawfully.
The ED is also examining the role of Surinder Kumar Khosla in connection with the suspected illegal conversion of khazan land, or traditional salt pan land, on which the nightclub was situated. Officials said the searches are aimed at tracing proceeds of crime and establishing whether illicit funds were generated and laundered through the operation of the club.
The investigation follows earlier action by local authorities and other agencies after the deadly fire, with the ED stepping in to probe the financial and money-laundering aspects arising from the case.
