Belly dancer performed without business visa at Goa nightclub, say police

Panaji: Kazakh national Kristina, who was dancing at the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub when a devastating blaze broke out and claimed 25 lives, did not possess the business visa required to perform in India, police confirmed on Tuesday.

A video circulating on social media shows electric firecrackers bursting and flames shooting from the club’s roof. The footage captures Kristina, who was performing a belly dance, and the accompanying band members fleeing in panic as the fire spread rapidly.

A senior police officer at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) told PTI that Kristina, originally from Kazakhstan, had applied for a business visa but had not yet received approval. “She had applied for the business visa, but she had yet to get the approval,” the officer said, adding that without this authorisation, she is not allowed to perform professionally in India.

What are officials examining?

When contacted, Superintendent of Police (FRRO) Arshi Adil told that they are “still inquiring into whether she had a business visa.”

Kristina, known on Instagram as Kristina Sheikh, is a professional dancer with 272,000 followers. Videos on her profile suggest that she had been performing regularly at the nightclub.

What caused the fatal blaze?

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant earlier said that electric firecrackers were the prima facie cause of the fire, which killed 25 people, including 20 staff members and five tourists.

Eyewitnesses stated that the fatalities occurred due to narrow exits at the nightclub, located along the backwaters of the Arpora river.

PTI inputs