Goa nightclub fire probe: Cops term Luthra brothers flight risk; Mapusa court turns down duo’s demand for mattress

PANAJI: The Luthra brothers, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane where 25 people were killed in a fire on Dec 6, were remanded in five days police custody by a Mapusa court on Wednesday. Goa police — which brought the brothers to Goa from Delhi on Wednesday morning — had sought 10 days police custody for the duo and argued that custodial interrogation was required to deter them and their associates from fleeing the country.

Police told the court that they wanted to uncover their financial transactions, prevent them and their associates from continuing illegal operations elsewhere, to identify their associates, and stop them and their associates from leaving the country.




“They, along with other accused, knowingly permitted and organised fireworks inside the restaurant/club without adopting any security measures despite being fully aware that such activity posed serious fire hazards and was likely to cause loss of life,” police said. They also told the court that custody was required “to deter them from destroying the valuable evidence”.

The Luthras’ lawyer tried to convince the court that there was no need for custodial interrogation as both the accused were ready to cooperate with the investigation.

Police, however, contested this. “To prevent them and their associates from continuing illegal operations or organising similar hazardous activities elsewhere, and since they are the owner/partner having a chain of hotels/restaurants...,” the remand application said.

Police noted that the Luthras, “being the owner/partner of the establishment, along with their associates, have ultimate control over operations, safety arrangements, permissions, and events conducted at the premises, and are directly responsible for the illegal acts and omissions”. They said the Luthras organised hazardous activities with full knowledge of the risk.

The Luthras, through their lawyer P V Pavithran, asked the court to grant them a mattress in police custody as Saurabh “suffered from a problem related to the spinal disc” and Gaurav “suffered from a tailbone fracture problem”. Assistant public prosecutor Tejas Pawar opposed this demand, asking, “If they have medical issues, what made them book a ticket and fly to Thailand?”

Judicial magistrate first class Puja Sardesai directed police to take the Luthras to a govt hospital for a medical examination. After this was completed, they were produced before the court. The judge consequently rejected the Luthras’ demand, noting that doctors at North Goa district hospital had declared them fit.

Earlier, Goa police had taken the Luthras to the primary health centre, Siolim, for medical examination, as soon as they reached Goa. When doctors at the PHC refused to grant a ‘fit for lockup’ certificate, they were shifted to the North Goa district hospital for medical examination. After this, the duo was taken to the Anjuna police station, where an FIR was registered against them for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Police and the Luthras left the Anjuna police station at around 2.45pm and were then produced before the court in Mapusa.

TOI reported on Wednesday that the 10-day-long cat and mouse game between Indian law enforcement agencies and the Luthra brothers finally ended on Tuesday as their aircraft touched down at Delhi airport at 1.45pm. The Luthras were arrested by a team of Goa police at immigration and flown to Goa on Wednesday morning after a Delhi court granted a two-day transit remand.

The duo had fled India on an IndiGo flight on Dec 7, hours after a deadly blaze led to the death of 25 people at their Arpora-based nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane. They were staying at the Indigo hotel in Phuket and returned to India on an IndiGo flight as well.