Goa club fire: Luthra brothers detained in Thailand; extradition process on

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the brothers who owned the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa — where a massive blaze caused by a suspected cylinder blast killed 25 people on Saturday — have been detained in Phuket, Thailand.

The nightclub co-owners, against whom an Interpol Blue Corner Notice had been issued, were detained at the request of the Indian government, officials said.

A process is underway to bring them to India, senior officials said. Sources said a Goa Police team will travel to Thailand to take custody of the brothers and bring them back to India to face trial.

Their departure on an IndiGo flight, at a time when the airline's massive flight cancellations and delays had triggered a nationwide meltdown, had initially raised suspicion over their "easy" escape.

The duo booked their tickets for Phuket through a travel portal at 1.17 am on December 7, within an hour of learning about the devastating fire at 'Birch by Romeo Lane', their nightblub at Arpora in North Goa, as per officials.

At the time when police and administration were still battling the blaze and attempting to rescue staff, the two left India in the early hours of Sunday by an IndiGo flight.

The Goa Police had approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the issuance of the Blue Corner Notice against them. — With PTI