Goa nightclub fire: What happens next as the Luthra brothers land in India from Thailand?

Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people died in a blaze, have arrived in India after being deported from Thailand. The brothers had fled to the Southeast Asian country hours after a major fire broke out at their Birch by Romeo Lane club in North Goa’s Arpora on the night of December 6.

The Luthra brothers were detained by the Thai police last week in Phuket after India suspended their passports and urged the Thai authorities to deport them. The duo were reportedly moved to an immigration facility in Bangkok earlier this week.

Let’s take a closer look.

Luthra brothers deported from Thailand

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra landed in Delhi around 2 pm on Tuesday (December 16). The duo had reportedly boarded the IndiGo flight 6E1064 from Bangkok.

The brothers were spotted at the Thailand airport wearing masks and surrounded by immigration security officials.

According to News18 sources, the brothers were seated in the last row of the aircraft, accompanied by four to five Indian officials, so as not to disturb other passengers.

The Goa Police formally arrested the brothers as soon as they arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

As per the police, the Luthra brothers had booked tickets to Thailand to flee India within 90 minutes of the fire erupting at their nightclub in Goa. The pair logged onto the MakeMyTrip (MMT) travel platform at 1:17 am on December 7. “While Goa police and fire services were battling the blaze and rescuing those trapped, the accused were preparing to flee the country,” the Goa police alleged in a statement.

The Goa Police had filed a criminal case under sections 105, 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 287, read with 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.

The FIR against the brothers says that they organised a fire show at Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, without ensuring proper precautions, such as providing fire safety equipment and other safety measures.

The preliminary investigation by the Goa Police and the Directorate of Fire Services revealed that the blaze was set off when electric firecrackers struck the wooden ceiling at the club on the night of December 6. The fire resulted in the death of 25 people, including five tourists.

The Luthra brothers have been accused of organising the fire show despite knowing that the nightclub did not have emergency exit doors on the ground or deck floors for evacuation in case of an emergency.

Soon after they fled India, the Bureau of Immigration issued a lookout circular (LOC) against the restaurateurs on the request of the Goa Police. The Interpol issued a Blue Corner Notice, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) suspended their passports.

Last week, the brothers were detained by Thai authorities from Hotel Indigo in Patong, Phuket.

Over the past 18 months, the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane was being run illegally without permission and on an expired licence, the investigation by the Goa Police revealed.

The Goa Police have so far arrested Ajay Gupta, 55, a partner of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, Rajiv Modak, 49, chief general manager, Priyanshu Thakur, 32, gate manager, Rajveer Singhania, 32, bar manager, Vivek Singh, 27, general manager, and Bharat Kohli.

What happens next?

After the Goa Police arrested the Luthra brothers from the Immigration control at the Delhi airport, the duo are being produced before the Patiala House court in Delhi. The police will seek their transit remand.

The Goa Police is expected to take the brothers to the western state by Tuesday night.

The police will produce the arrest memo and take the brothers into custody for further legal proceedings.

The Luthra brothers will be investigated on charges of culpable homicide and negligence. They have, however, denied any wrongdoing, saying they “never intended to evade” the law. They claim they have been “erroneously portrayed” as villains in a wider tragedy.

On December 11, a Delhi court rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas of the brothers. Additional Sessions Judge Vandana said the allegations against the brothers were “prima facie grave and serious” and severely criticised their “conduct.”

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday observed that “someone has to be held accountable” for the tragedy and converted a civil suit against the nightclub into a public interest litigation (PIL).

With inputs from agencies