The meteoric rise and sudden fall of Delhi’s Luthra brothers Saurabh and Gaurav has shaken India’s hospitality industry. Once celebrated as the young faces of urban nightlife, the duo is now on the run after a devastating fire at their Goa nightclub, Birch By Romeo Lane, claimed 25 lives.
Their journey began in 2016 with Mama’s Buoi in Delhi’s Hudson Lane. Popular among university students, it set the stage for their rapid expansion. They soon launched Dramebaaz and then their flagship brand Romeo Lane, which spread to 22 cities and four countries. Social media posts showcased their “incredible journey,” with Saurabh as the brand’s charismatic face and Gaurav managing accounts and operations quietly behind the scenes.
But the brothers’ empire, built on glamour and rapid scaling, began to show cracks. Some outlets boomed while others struggled, and critics noted that their rush to expand compromised oversight. Still, nothing foreshadowed the tragedy that unfolded on a Saturday night in Goa.
During a musical event at Birch By Romeo Lane, electronic stage crackers ignited the bamboo-heavy décor. With no working fire alarms or extinguishers and only one narrow exit, chaos ensued. Tourists and staff were trapped, firefighters struggled to reach the building due to its “island club” design, and by the time the blaze was controlled, 25 people 20 staffers and 5 tourists had lost their lives.
As investigations began and violations surfaced, the Luthras fled India within hours—before any FIR or travel restriction was in place boarding a flight to Phuket. Now wanted for gross negligence leading to mass casualties, the once-admired entrepreneurs have become fugitives, their success story replaced by one of evasion and tragedy.
Their empire, built over nine years, has collapsed overnight. And instead of chasing expansion, the Luthra brothers are now the ones being chased.
