Luthra brothers brought back to India, arrested

New Delhi: Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a fire killed 25 people, were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. The brothers were on an Indigo flight from Phuket and were taken into custody as soon as they landed, ten days after the blaze tore through the nightclub in Arpora, North Goa.

Officials said the two were questioned for several hours at the airport before being handed over for further legal formalities. They are expected to be produced before a Delhi court, where Goa police will seek their transit remand. The proceedings unfolded under considerable media attention. Multiple journalists were on the flight, and as it touched down, a television reporter attempted to film the brothers inside the aircraft. Security personnel accompanying them immediately closed ranks and restricted any interaction.

Gaurav, 44, and Saurabh, 40, are facing charges of culpable homicide and negligence. Investigators allege that the December 6 fire was aggravated by the nightclub operating without mandatory fire safety measures, raising broader concerns over compliance lapses by the management.

According to police, the brothers left for Phuket in the early hours of December 7, only hours after the incident. Their departure prompted authorities to cancel their passports and request an Interpol Blue Corner Notice. Thai authorities detained them in Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated their deportation under existing legal arrangements between the countries.

The same day, a Delhi court rejected their transit anticipatory bail pleas. Additional Sessions Judge Vandana noted that the allegations were “prima facie grave and serious” and criticised what she described as their “conduct”. The court highlighted the police finding that the brothers had booked tickets to Phuket merely an hour after the fire, a detail their counsel had initially “concealed” while seeking protection from arrest. The judge observed that their immediate departure appeared to be an attempt to “evade the legal process”.

Amid the continuing investigation, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit related to the incident into a public interest litigation, stating that “someone has to be held accountable” for the tragedy.