Goa nightclub fire: Prime accused Luthra brothers detained in Thailand
Police probe revealed that the duo booked flight tickets to Thailand when emergency teams were battling the blaze and attempting to rescue those trapped inside
In a major breakthrough in the Goa nightclub fire case, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Goa’s Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub where a fire claimed 25 lives on Saturday, have been detained in Phuket, Thailand, sources said. The brothers had left for Thailand on an IndiGo flight from Delhi just five hours after the incident. According to sources, a Goa Police team will soon travel to Thailand to take custody of the duo and bring them back to India for further legal proceedings.
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had suspended their passports. Sources said the Goa government had formally requested the External Affairs Ministry to cancel the Luthras’ passports. A Look-Out Circular and an Interpol Blue Notice were also issued against them.
Also read | Luthra brothers fled to Thailand while their Goa nightclub burned: probe
Investigators say the brothers booked their tickets to Thailand at 1.17 am on December 7, barely an hour after news of the fire at their club, Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, began to spread. At that exact time, police and emergency teams were still battling the blaze and attempting to rescue those trapped inside. Immigration records confirm that the two boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket from Delhi at 5.30 am.
Delhi court denies interim relief
In court, however, the Luthras insist the travel had been planned earlier. Their lawyer told Delhi’s Rohini court that Saurabh had left for Thailand on December 6 “for professional engagements and potential restaurant sites.” He argued that the brothers were only seeking “legal protection to return to India without immediate arrest.”
On Wednesday, the court refused to grant them interim relief and listed their anticipatory bail plea for hearing on Thursday. The Goa police opposed the request, maintaining that the brothers fled within hours of the incident and should not be allowed to seek protection while abroad.
Represented by senior advocates Sidharth Luthra and Tanvir Ahmed Mir, the brothers argued that they feared being arrested the moment they landed in India. “I am saying I want to come back to India; they want to arrest me,” their counsel told the court. “Witch-hunting is what I am concerned about.”
The Luthras also accused authorities of acting with “vindictive intent,” pointing to the demolition of their second property in Goa, a beach shack bulldozed earlier this week. Officials have countered this, saying the shack was illegal and lacked all fire-safety clearances, making it a risk similar to the nightclub involved in the tragedy.
'Co-owner' Gupta brought to Goa
Ajay Gupta, who claimed to be a silent partner and investor in the fire-ravaged 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, has been brought to Goa from Delhi on a transit remand for questioning.
Goa police landed with Gupta at Manohar International Airport, Mopa, at 9.45 pm on Wednesday. He was taken to Anjuna police station for further investigation, an official said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gupta, a resident of Jammu, was produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinod Joshi in Delhi, who granted the Goa police a 36-hour transit remand to take him to the coastal state.
The court cited the ongoing air travel crisis caused by disrupted IndiGo flights as the reason for the extended remand window, and also directed authorities to ensure proper medical care for Gupta, who suffers from a spinal injury, during his transfer.
(With agency inputs)