Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, the co-owners of the Goa nightclub ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’, where 25 people were killed in a fire incident this month, have returned to India. The brothers landed in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand.
The two were detained in Phuket on 11 December. Thai authorities acted after the Indian embassy intervened. Earlier today, photos showed the brothers being escorted to the Bangkok airport before their flight home.
What's next for Saurabh, Gaurav Luthra?
Sources have informed news agency PTI that the Thai officials who escorted Saurabh and Gaurav to Delhi will hand over the two to Indian authorities after completing the necessary formalities.
The duo will be produced before the Patiala House court in Delhi for further legal proceedings, they said. Following their appearance before the court, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra will be handed over to the Goa Police.
The Luthra brothers left Delhi hours after the blaze at their Goa nightclub on 6 December killed 25 persons and injured many others. They were reportedly attending a wedding in Delhi at the time of the incident.
An Interpol Blue Corner Notice was issued against the duo.
How did Indian authorities track down the Luthra brothers?
The blaze sparked widespread outrage and raised serious questions about alleged safety violations and lapses by the nightclub's management.
The Goa Police had filed a criminal case dated 7 December at the Police Station Arpora Anjuna, North Goa, under sections 105, 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 287, read with 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
The FIR states that on 6 December, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the accused persons, had organised a fire show at the restaurant Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, without taking proper precautions and without providing fire safety equipment and other safety measures. The fire show resulted in a blaze.
The Indian government cancelled their passports after discovering that they had fled to Thailand just hours after the massive nightclub fire. The government also submitted a dossier to Thai authorities alleging their involvement in the deaths of 25 people and formally sought their deportation.
India and Thailand are signatories to an Extradition Treaty, which was signed in 2013 and came into force in June 2015.
The Goa Police have so far arrested five managers and staff members of the nightclub in connection with the case.
