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Goa club fire: How Luthra brothers were brought back to India from their one-way Thailand trip
The Luthra brothers had fled to Thailand's Phuket just 90 minutes after a massive fire at their north Goa nightclub killed 25 people on December 6.
Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the Delhi-based entrepreneurs who co-owned the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in north Goa's Arpora, where a massive blaze killed 25 people, are at the centre of the probe into the fire case.
The brothers, who argued that they were just the licensees of the nightclub, were named the main accused in the Goa club fire case. Follow live updates on Luthra brothers' deportation
The December 6 blaze led the Luthra brothers to flee India in the wee hours of December 7, and nearly 10 days later, on December 16, they were brought to Delhi. Goa police arrested Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra after they were brought out of the Delhi airport on Tuesday afternoon.
They were expected to be produced before a Delhi court, following which authorities will take the duo to Goa.
How Luthra brothers were brought back to India
⦁ Fled India 90 mins after fire: The Luthra brothers were planning their escape to Thailand's Phuket while the fire was still blazing through their north Goa nightclub on December 6. The first distress call from the Birch by Romeo Lane club was made at 11:45 pm on Saturday, and at 1:17 am on Sunday, December 7, the Luthra brothers booked their tickets to Phuket, HT reported earlier. Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra booked their tickets to Phuket online via the MakeMyTrip (MMT) platform. They departed from India at 5:30 am on the same day.
⦁ FIR registered: An FIR was registered against the Luthra brothers last Sunday, under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125(a) and (b) (endangering life and personal safety), and 287 (negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The club where the fire broke out was found to be flouting safety norms and was also allegedly illegally constructed.
⦁ Lookout notice issued: Roughly 24 hours after the Luthra brothers fled to Thailand, a lookout circular was issued against the two. Goa police officials had also stated that they had immediately initiated international coordination through Interpol to trace and arrest the accused brothers in accordance with the legal procedure.
⦁ Luthras' passports cancelled: Goa police had approached the ministry of external affairs to cancel the passports of the Luthra brothers. Their passports were first impounded and later cancelled by MEA.
⦁ Blue corner notice issued: The Central Bureau of Investigation sought blue corner notices against the Delhi-based businessmen after they fled to Phuket. The probe agency had said that it was "vehemently pursuing with Lyon headquartered Interpol to quickly issue blue notices against Luthras" to prevent them from fleeing to some other country, HT reported earlier. Later, Interpol issued Blue Corner notices against Luthras.
⦁ Luthra brothers detained in Thailand: The Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand on December 11, soon after which the process to deport them to India to face trial was initiated. Thai law enforcement had detained the brothers at their hotel in Phuket. Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra were being held at an immigration detention centre as their deportation process was underway.
⦁ Anticipatory bail pleas denied: A Delhi court heard the Luthra brothers' anticipatory bail plea on December 10, denying them immediate protection from arrest. It had asked the authorities to file a response, posting the matter for the next day. On December 11, the counsel for the Luthra brothers told the Rohini court that they were not absconders, adding that the duo were ready to join the investigation into the Goa nightclub fire case. In its argument, the Goa police had dismissed Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra's claims that they had gone to Thailand for work and said the two had no business interests in Phuket. Police also told the court that they had shown no cooperation during the probe and had also misled the authorities about when they left India. In conclusion, the Delhi court refused to grant the Luthra brothers anticipatory bail.
⦁ Luthra brothers brought to Delhi: Nearly five days after the initiation of the deportation process, the Luthra brothers on Tuesday afternoon landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Goa police arrested the brothers after they were brought out of the airport, and later took their custody. Authorities later presented Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra before a Patiala court, where the Goa police was granted a two-day transit remand of the Delhi-based businessmen.
