Goa Fire: Nightclub Owners, Saurabh & Gaurav Luthra, Detained In Thailand's Phuket, Likely To Be Deported Soon

Bangkok: In a major development in the Goa fire case, Thailand police on Thursday (December 11) reportedly detained nightclub owners Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra in Phuket. They will be deported soon to India, claimed reports.

According to a report by India Today, the Goa police will travel to Thailand to take custody of the owners of the Birch By Romeo Lane nightclub, which caught fire on Sunday, resulting in the death of 25 people.

Detention of the Luthra brothers came almost five days after the tragic incident.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revoked passports of the Luthra brothers on the request of the Goa Police.

What Initial Probe Revealed:

Meanwhile, the investigation into the December 6 nightclub inferno in North Goa's Arpora revealed that Saurabh and Gaurav booked tickets to Thailand minutes after the blaze erupted at the nightclub.

According to an NDTV report quoting officials, at 1:17 am on December 7, while firefighters and police were still battling the blaze at the Arpora nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, the Luthra brothers logged into the MakeMyTrip platform and purchased tickets to Thailand. Immigration records show the pair boarded the IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket, which departed Delhi at 5:30 am, just hours after the fire.

On Wednesday, a Rohini Court in Delhi heard the brothers’ transit anticipatory bail plea, in which they sought four weeks of protection from arrest and interim relief to allow them to return from Thailand without facing immediate detention.

Opposing their plea for protection, the government submitted that the brothers were deliberately evading investigation and should not be granted any interim relief.

The accused, however, told the Court through their counsel that they were apprehended upon arrival in India. They argued that they had travelled to Thailand for work-related reasons and now wished to return, but feared custodial action. Their lawyers emphasised that the applicants only sought brief transit protection to approach the competent court in Goa.

The Rohini Court took up the Transit anticipatory bail applications on Wednesday and questioned their maintainability, noting that the applicants were not presently within the territorial jurisdiction.

The Court, without granting any interim protection, fixed the matter for further hearing on Thursday.