Goa nightclub fire: How the Luthra brothers were nabbed - a timeline

NEW DELHI: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra co‑owners of the Goa nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, have been detained by Thai authorities in Phuket and are set to be deported to India to face investigation in connection with a deadly fire that killed 25 people last week.

Indian law enforcement agencies, working through diplomatic and international policing channels, coordinated the operation after the brothers left India shortly after the blaze. A police team has already reached Thailand as the deportation process is underway.

Fire and aftermath

The tragedy occurred late on December 6 at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, where a fire erupted amid a crowded event, killing 25 people, including five tourists and twenty staff. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause and responsibilities in the incident.

Within hours of the fire, the Luthra brothers were reported to have booked and boarded an IndiGo flight to Phuket, with ticket records showing they left at about 5:30 am on December 7 - while rescue efforts were still underway.

International manhunt

Goa Police quickly expanded the probe beyond India’s borders, issuing a lookout circular and securing an Interpol blue corner notice on December 9 to locate the duo.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) responded by suspending the Luthras’ passports on December 11, preventing further travel, and alerting Thai authorities.

Plea for anticipatory bail

On December 10 brothers moved to Delhi’s Rohini court seeking four weeks of transit anticipatory bail, claiming they are willing to return to India and cooperate with the investigation into the nightclub blaze.

Despite their initial plea seeking bail and claiming they had travelled to Thailand “for work,” the court declined interim relief on December 11.

Police refuting the claims made by brothers told the court the brothers booked their tickets after the fire broke out and left on December 7, contrary to their assertion that they were on a business trip and had left on December 6, an action officials described as “incriminating.”

Arrest in Phuket

Thai immigration authorities nabbed the brothers on December 11 and released pictures of brothers handcuffed at a resort in Phuket, taken into custody on the basis of requests from Indian agencies.

Authorities in Thailand are now processing their deportation back to India under existing legal frameworks. India and Thailand have an extradition treaty, and the offense of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other charges they face, meets the criteria for surrender under the treaty terms.

Probe and additional arrests

The investigation in India has also led to the arrest of six others connected to the nightclub’s operations. Among them is Ajay Gupta, described as an operational partner.

Goa Police traced him to a private hospital in Delhi after he reportedly sought to avoid arrest by faking illness; he was subsequently taken into custody.

What happens next

With the Luthra brothers detained and deportation underway, Indian authorities are expected to formally take them into custody on return and proceed with the legal process. The broader inquiry continues into fire safety compliance at the club and potential lapses by operators and regulators.

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