'In Thailand For Work, Won't Return': Luthra Brothers Allege 'Vindictive Behaviour' By Authorities After Goa Nightclub Fire In Bail Plea; Court Refuses Immediate Relief

Goa: The Luthra brothers, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, told a Delhi court on Wednesday that they had not fled the country. They said they were in Thailand for work and could not return to India at the moment as they feared arrest. They sought four weeks’ transit anticipatory bail so that they would not be immediately arrested upon their return to India.

They also stated that they do not manage the day-to-day operations of the Arpora club that caught fire and claimed they were victims of the authorities’ vindictive behaviour.

Saurabh Luthra Claims He Left India a Day Before The Fire

According to police, the Luthra brothers fled to Thailand from Delhi within five hours of the tragic incident on 7 December. However, Saurabh Luthra claimed in court that he went abroad for a business meeting a day before the fire incident took place.

"On December 6, applicant travelled to Thailand for a business meeting in connection with his professional engagements and potential restaurant sites," their lawyer told the court. The fire incident took place late on the night of 6 December.

The Bench began hearing their plea but refused to stay their arrest, directing Delhi Police to file a response and listing the matter for Friday.

The brothers, in their plea, mentioned that their second club on Romeo Lane was razed and said this shows "the vindictive nature of the actions of the Authorities against the Applicant."

Earlier on Tuesday, a beach shack owned by the Luthra brothers in Goa’s Vagator, the fugitive owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, the nightclub in Arpora where a fire killed 25 people on Sunday, was demolished by authorities. A senior CMO official stated that CM Pramod Sawant had directed the North Goa district administration to complete all the formalities and demolish the shack.

The restaurant was reportedly built on land owned by the government, a matter that came under scrutiny after the fire incident.