What is Blue Corner Notice? Goa Police approach CBI for Interpol alert as club owners flee to Thailand

A Blue Corner Notice is likely to be issued against Goa club owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who escaped to Thailand soon after a devastating fire broke out at their ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub that claimed the lives of 25 people. For the issuance of notices against owners, the Goa Police approached the CBI on Tuesday, officials told the news agency PTI.

What is Blue Corner Notice?

The Blue Corner Notice is an international alert issued under Interpol’s colour-coded system, which allows member countries to share information and requests for information across borders. According to the Interpol website, a Blue Notice is used to gather additional information about a person's identity, whereabouts, or actions related to a criminal inquiry.

The owners of the nightclub reportedly escaped to Phuket in Thailand on an IndiGo flight at 5:30 am on Sunday (December 7), just hours after the devastating fire killed 25 people. Following the incident, a magisterial inquiry was launched, prompting to formation of the committee that visited the site and called for all the essential documents.

Meanwhile, officials also issued a lookout notice against the Luthra brothers, who were in Delhi when the fire in their Goa club claimed their lives. Authorities have also sought the assistance of Interpol to trace and arrest the promoters.

A senior official told PTI that the brothers’ rapid departure indicates an “intention to evade the police investigation.” He added that immediately after the FIR was lodged, a police team was sent to Delhi to raid the accused’s addresses. "Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house," the official said.

He also added that the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) issued a look-out circular by December 7 against both the accused at the request of the Goa Police. During the lookout circular, it was discovered that the two had already left Delhi for Phuket in the early hours of December 7, soon after the incident.