Goa nightclub fire accused Luthra brothers deported from Thailand, to be produced before Delhi court

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a massive fire killed 25 people earlier this month, have been deported from Thailand to India, NDTV reported. NDTV reported that the Luthra brothers boarded an IndiGo flight from Bangkok, from where they are being brought back to India.

According to the report, the brothers are travelling on IndiGo flight 6E1064, scheduled to depart Bangkok at 1.45 pm IST. On arrival in Delhi, they will be produced before the Patiala House Court, where officials are expected to seek their transit remand, NDTV informed.

The Luthra brothers, against whom a case of culpable homicide and negligence has been registered, allegedly fled to Phuket in Thailand hours after the tragedy. NDTV reported that they were attending a wedding in Delhi at the time of the incident. After receiving information about the fire and the possible scale of damage, they allegedly contacted their office in Delhi’s Model Town, instructed staff to book flight tickets, returned home to collect documents and then left the country.

They were detained by Thai authorities on December 9 after stepping out of their hotel for a meal, sources told NDTV. The brief outing reportedly alerted authorities to their presence in Phuket. After verification of their identities and travel records, deportation proceedings were initiated to send them back to India.

The fire at the Goa nightclub occurred during a musical night, with videos from the scene showing thick smoke and towering flames. One widely circulated clip shows a dancer performing to the song Mehbooba Mehbooba from Sholay when flames first appear on the ceiling.

Preliminary investigations have pointed to serious violations of safety norms. Officials stated that the club lacked an emergency exit, did not have functional fire extinguishers or safety alarms, and was located on an access road too narrow for fire engines. Despite multiple warnings, the management allegedly failed to address these lapses. The FIR also stated that the club was operating without the required permissions and licences.

So far, four staff members of the nightclub, including the manager, have been arrested. Officials from various government departments involved in issuing licences and permits to the club have also been summoned for questioning, NDTV reported.

A third partner in the nightclub, Ajay Gupta, was arrested earlier in Delhi. Gupta had claimed to be a silent partner, but the investigation revealed that he was the most active co-owner. NDTV reported that he was in Goa at the time of the fire but flew to Delhi hours after the incident. After landing, his phone was switched off, prompting the issuance of a lookout circular.

Police later traced Gupta through his driver’s phone after he left his Gurugram residence in a Toyota Innova. He was eventually located at the Institute of Brain and Spine in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, where he had admitted himself in an alleged attempt to evade arrest, according to the report.