Goa nightclub fire case: Luthra brothers deported from Thailand
Bangkok: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of North Goa’s Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, have boarded a flight to Delhi from Bangkok after being deported on Tuesday.
The brothers will be taken into custody by the Goa Police immediately upon their arrival in Delhi.
Thai authorities had detained the Luthra brothers on the basis of an INTERPOL Blue Corner Notice issued at the request of Indian law enforcement agencies.
Following their detention, the two will be produced before a Delhi court to seek a transit remand, after which they will be brought to Goa for further investigation in connection with the deadly fire incident at the nightclub.
As part of the ongoing probe, police are recording statements of officials from the excise department.
Statements of individuals associated with the local panchayat body are also being examined, with investigators saying that several important and concrete pieces of information have emerged during the course of the inquiry, sources said.
They added that the magisterial inquiry committee constituted to probe the incident has also questioned Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, the original landowner of the property.
According to sources, the committee has summoned more than 100 people to participate in the investigation, and statements of at least 20 individuals have been recorded so far.
Earlier on December 11, a Delhi court rejected the anticipatory bail pleas filed by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra after considering a response submitted by the Goa Police.
During the hearing, Goa Police counsel Abhinav Mukherjee argued that the brothers had falsely claimed minimal involvement in the business and maintained that their foreign travel was pre-planned.
The police, however, placed several documents before the court to contradict these claims, including an FSSAI application filed by Saurabh Luthra, a Pollution Control Board application, and GST records that listed both brothers and Ajay Gupta as partners in the business.
The police also informed the court that the establishment’s Panchayat licence had expired and was never renewed, and that the nightclub was operating without valid permission.
The licence agreement was also produced as evidence to show that the brothers lacked authorisation to run the venue.
The prosecution further contended that the brothers booked their flight at around 1.15 a.m., shortly after the fire broke out, and left for Thailand at 5 a.m. on December 7, describing the move as an attempt to evade arrest.
Investigators said the Luthra brothers left for Thailand almost immediately after the fire accident at the nightclub, which killed 25 people in the early hours of December 7.
The massive blaze, which tore through the club located near the Arpora River backwaters, claimed 25 lives, including four tourists and 14 staff members.
According to police officials, the club had a narrow entry and exit, which became one of the major reasons why many victims were unable to escape the inferno in time.
The blaze erupted early on December 7 at the club situated in the bustling Baga area, which draws large crowds owing to its proximity to one of Goa’s most frequented beaches.