A Goa court on Wednesday sent Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the nightclub ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’, to five days of police custody. The nightclub fire, which broke out on December 6, killed 25 people in Goa’s Arpora area.
Owners Arrested After Deportation From Thailand
Police arrested the Luthra brothers on Tuesday after their deportation from Thailand and arrival in Delhi. Earlier, a court had also rejected their anticipatory bail plea.
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Investigators said the brothers fled to Phuket, Thailand, just 90 minutes after the fire broke out at their nightclub.
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Indian authorities contacted international agencies and issued a Blue Notice through Interpol to track the Luthra brothers. Following this, Thai police detained Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at a hotel in Phuket last week.
Later, the Ministry of External Affairs cancelled their passports, and the Indian Embassy issued emergency travel certificates to bring them back to India.
Court Rejects Medical Claims Made by Accused
During the court hearing, the Luthra brothers claimed they were suffering from back pain. However, the court ordered a fresh medical examination, which found no medical emergency.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing the victims’ families, said the court carefully reviewed all submissions before granting police custody.
Serious Charges Filed Against the Luthra Brothers
An FIR has also been registered against the accused under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, including:
- Culpable homicide not amounting to murder
- Endangering life and personal safety
- Negligence involving fire or combustible material
These charges relate to alleged safety lapses that may have led to the deadly fire.
Investigation Ongoing
Police said a legal team representing the Luthra brothers had earlier met them at a Thai immigration detention centre. Investigators are now questioning the accused to determine responsibility for the fire and any violations of safety rules.
Six people, including five managerial staff and Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthra brothers, have been named in the case so far. Search is also underway for a seventh person, Surinder Kumar Khosla.