Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers land in Delhi, to be presented in court

The Luthra brothers, who landed in the national capital today, will be produced before the Patiala House Court, and the officials will be seeking their transit remand, a media report suggested

Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the two brothers linked to the deadly fire that killed 25 people in a nightclub in Goa's Arpora, have landed in Delhi after being deported by Thai officials.

 

The Luthra brothers were handed over to Indian authorities on their arrival at the airport and were taken into custody for further legal proceedings. The duo is expected to be produced before a Delhi court, news agency PTI said.

 

The duo that fled to Thailand on December 6 are owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane, where a devastating fire killed at least 20 staff members and five tourists. While the emergency teams were still battling to contain the fire and rescue those trapped, the Luthra brothers fled from the country.

 

Saurabh and Gaurav were detained by Thai Police on December 11 from a resort in Phuket after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) moved to suspend their passports and requested the Thai officials to deport them, news agency ANI reported.

 

After the duo left India, an Interpol Blue Notice was issued at the behest of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the brothers. A criminal case was registered against the Luthra brothers by the Goa police on December 7 at the Arpora-Anjuna police station in North Goa under Sections 105, 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 287, read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

 

According to the FIR, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra had organised a fire show at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora on December 6 without adequate precautions. It is alleged that the event was held without proper fire safety equipment or other mandatory safety arrangements.

  

Earlier on Monday, the Bombay High Court converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane into a public interest litigation.