PANAJI: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the absconding co-owners of Birch nightclub where 25 people died in a December 6 inferno, have been handcuffed and detained in Thailand by the country’s National Crime Bureau. Thai authorities, in coordination with Indian agencies, are said to have initiated the process to deport the duo to India to face trial.
The Goan was first to report that Indian and Thai agencies had zeroed in on the exact location of the absconding brothers in Phuket, with their arrest or surrender imminent. Their last known location was traced to Phuket’s Kathu district, with the CBI, MEA, Goa Police, and Thai officials coordinating closely.
According to sources, the brothers were detained this morning from a hotel in Thailand and moved to a detention facility. Deportation procedures are currently underway, and the Luthras could be flown back to India by this evening or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs has impounded the brothers’ passports, with cancellation expected shortly, effectively preventing any further international movement. An Interpol Blue Corner notice had already been issued against them at the request of the CBI.
Indian authorities remain in constant touch with their Thai counterparts as efforts intensify to bring the Luthras back to face investigation and trial.
