Luthras detained in Thailand, to be deported

Brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, wanted in connection with the fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa that resulted in the death of 25 people on Saturday night, were detained in Thailand, officials said on Thursday.The nightclub co-owners, against whom an Interpol blue corner notice had been issued earlier, were detained on the request of the Indian Government, they said.According to sources, a team of the Goa Police and the CBI will travel to Thailand to take custody of the brothers and bring them back for trial.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the Luthra brothers would be brought back to India from Thailand at the earliest.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Thursday dismissed the transit anticipatory bail pleas of the Luthras.

On Wednesday, the accused had sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they were not immediately arrested on their return to Delhi from Thailand. However, the pleas were dismissed by Additional Sessions Judge Vandana.

During the proceedings, counsel for Goa opposed the pleas, saying, “They left, they concealed, and they are now seeking leniency”.

Hours after the fire tragedy unfolded, the duo had fled to Phuket by an IndiGo flight on December 7. Their departure on an IndiGo flight, at a time when the airline was experiencing a nationwide meltdown due to widespread cancellations and delays, had initially raised suspicion.

Counsel for Goa told the Rohini court that the document placed on record by the applicant along with the plea itself showed that the licence agreement, trade licence and lease deed had already expired and no fire permission was taken by the applicant from the department concerned.

The incident took place on Saturday night when a deadly blaze engulfed the busy nightlife area of the tourist state.

Saurabh’s LinkedIn profile describes him as the chairman of Romeo Lane, Birch and Mama’s Buoi.

As per Saurabh’s social media profile, he has featured in Forbes India and is listed as the chairman of Romeo Lane, which runs popular restaurants and clubs in Delhi, Goa, Gurugram and other cities.

According to the website of Romeo Lane, Saurabh is a gold medallist engineer who became one of the fastest-growing restaurateurs of the country.