Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who were detained in Thailand on Thursday.
PANAJI
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub and wanted in connection with the December 6 fire that killed 25 people, were detained in Thailand early Thursday, bringing an end to a five-day international pursuit that triggered high-level diplomatic coordination.
Thai authorities picked up the brothers in Phuket after India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) impounded their passports at the request of the Goa government. Their visas were also cancelled, paving way for their early deportation. They were moved to a Bangkok detention centre from Phuket detention facility.
Sources said paperwork for their deportation has begun, and while officials are expediting the process to conclude it on Friday, it may spill over into next week given lengthy official formalities. The brothers are likely to be deported to India on Monday or Tuesday.
The accused brothers had been changing locations and were picked from Hotel Indigo at Patong on Thursday morning.
Images shared by Thai officials showed the two accused owners handcuffed, holding their passports at the immigration office in Phuket. They were questioned briefly as Indian agencies worked in tandem with their Thai counterparts.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, the MEA and the Goa police were in continuous contact with officials in Thailand.
“The MEA impounded the Luthra brothers’ passports which prevented them from escaping to another country. Their passports will soon be cancelled,” a senior official said.
Police sources also said the brothers had been hiding at a resort in Phuket to avoid documentation. Interpol and Thai officers narrowed down their location to the Kathu district after the duo were earlier believed to be in Patong. Their belongings were searched, and their passports were seized before they were detained.
The Luthras flew out of India at 1:17 am on December 7 on an IndiGo flight to Phuket, hours after firefighters were still pulling victims from the charred remains of Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora. A total of seven arrests have been made so far, with the Luthra brothers’ arrest soon --after their return to India -- to bring the count to nine. The accused face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence and other serious offenses under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Officials said the swift action was possible because the Goa government presented a strong case, prompting Interpol to issue a Blue Corner Notice quickly.
What the Blue
Corner notice said
The notices issued against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra accused them of injury-causing death, manslaughter and murder. Interpol records stated that the partners organised a fire show “without taking proper care and caution and without providing fire safety equipment or other safety gadgets.”
It stated that at 11:45 pm on December 6, the fire show ignited a blaze that killed 25 people, including tourists. The event was held despite knowing the nightclub lacked emergency exits on both the ground floor and the deck. The notice further mentioned that the brothers were operating a restaurant without obtaining the required permissions or licences from competent authorities.
