'I am only a partner': Goa nightclub co-owner Ajay Gupta claims minimal role after detention | VIDEO

New Delhi: Ajay Gupta, co-owner of Goa's Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, claimed he is "only a partner" as Delhi's Crime Branch Anti Extortion and Kidnapping Cell brought him in on Wednesday for questioning over the blaze that killed 25 people.

Wearing a mask that obscured most of his face, Gupta made the remark while entering the Sunlight Colony Crime Branch office.

Sources revealed that the Goa Police questioned him and launched procedures for arrest and transit remand after he evaded investigators since the December 6 fire in north Goa's Arpora area. "A Look Out Circular (LOC) had been issued against him after the Goa Police failed to find him in Delhi during their first search. He was later located at a private hospital in Lajpat Nagar, where he had reportedly admitted himself citing spine-related medical issues. After medical clearance, he was detained and brought to the Crime Branch office for further procedures," the source stated.

Gupta faces formal arrest once transit formalities conclude and will undergo a detailed interrogation in Goa on club management, operations, and fire-safety adherence.

Goa Police already detained five staff: chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, gate manager Riyanshu Thakur, and employee Bharat Kohli.

Brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, two other owners, fled India post-incident, prompting an Interpol Blue Corner Notice against them.

With inputs from PTI