Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers deported from Thailand, taken into police custody

NEW DELHI: Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a massive fire killed 25 people, were arrested on Tuesday as soon as they landed in Delhi after being deported from Thailand.

The brothers arrived in the Indian capital in an Indigo flight and were immediately handed over to authorities for further legal proceedings, 10 days after a blaze tore through the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora in North Goa.

Gaurav, 44, and Saurabh, 40, will be produced before a Delhi court where the Goa police will seek their transit remand. They were questioned at the airport, the formalities taking several hours.

Several reporters and camerapersons were travelling on the flight. As the plane landed in Delhi, a TV reporter attempted to record the Luthra brothers inside the aircraft, prompting accompanying officials to tighten security around the two men and prevent them from talking to anybody.

The Luthra brothers are facing a case of culpable homicide and negligence following the December 6 tragedy, which investigators allege was compounded by the nightclub operating in violation of mandatory fire safety norms. The incident raised serious questions over alleged fire safety violations and lapses by the management.

Gaurav and Saurabh fled to Phuket in the early hours of December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.

The duo was detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.

On December 11, a Delhi court rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas. Additional Sessions Judge Vandana termed the allegations against the brothers "prima facie grave and serious" and severely criticised their "conduct."

The court took note of the police investigation that the brothers had booked tickets to Phuket one hour after the fire, a fact their counsel had initially "concealed" while seeking protection from immediate arrest.

The judge said that leaving immediately after the tragedy was a clear attempt to "evade the legal process".

Observing that "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against the nightclub into a public interest litigation (PIL).