Brothers Gaurav Luthra (left) and Saurabh Luthra.
THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, the Arpora nightclub where 25 people died in a major fire, left India for Thailand before Goa Police could take them into custody.
This has now forced the authorities to follow a long international process to bring them back.
In a statement issued earlier, police said brothers Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, who are booked for culpable homicide, boarded a 5.30 a.m. flight to Phuket on December 7. This was just hours after the midnight fire that killed club staff and tourists.
After registering the FIR, police sent a team to Delhi and carried out raids at their homes. However, the brothers had already fled.
“Since they were not available, a legal notice was pasted at their residence,” the police said.
Police said the timing of their flight shows their intention to avoid the investigation. They also said they are now working with the Interpol Division of the CBI to get them detained abroad.
Earlier today, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against the brothers. Meanwhile, Bharat Kohli, who handled the club’s daily operations, was arrested in Delhi. So far, five people have been arrested in the case.
