New Delhi: Goa's 'Birch By Romeo Lane' nightclub owner Saurabh Luthra was detained by the Thailand Police on Thursday (December 11). Notably, the nightclub caught fire in the wee hours of December 7, resulting in the death of 25 people. A fresh image showing the Luthra brothers being detained from inside a hotel room surfaced online.
Meanwhile, a process to bring them back to India is currently underway, senior officials confirmed to PTI. The duo booked their tickets for Phuket through a travel portal at 1.17 am on December 7, within an hour of learning about the devastating fire at the nightclub in North Goa's Arpora.
At the time when police and administration were still battling the blaze and attempting to rescue staff, the two left India in the early hours of Sunday by an IndiGo flight. A blue corner notice was also issued against the Luthra brothers.
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.
The next hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
The fire inside the nightclub reportedly caused due to electric firecrackers.
