India, Dec. 10 -- While firefighting operations were underway at the Goa nightclub post midnight on Sunday, the Luthra brothers, who owned the Birch by Romeo Lane, were planning their escape to Phuket in Thailand.

The Goa Police, in a statement on Wednesday, said Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused in the case, booked their tickets at 1:17 am on Sunday, barely one and a half hours after the fire broke out at the North Goa nightclub, HT earlier reported.

The first distress call from the Goa club was made at 11:45 pm. The blaze took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when around 100 visitors had gathered at the nightclub in North Goa. The massive fire killed 25 people.

While the police have arrested five staff ...