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Luthras detained, to be brought back to India
The Goa Police, while opposing the plea for transit bail, submitted before the court that the two had no known business interests in Thailand
Delhi-based entrepreneurs Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who fled to Phuket 90 minutes after a blaze ripped through their club in Goa and killed 25 people, were detained by local authorities in Thailand and a joint investigation team will soon bring the accused back to India, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday.
His comments came a day after the external affairs ministry was considering the Goa government’s request to revoke the passports of the two brothers after receiving a communication from the state government.
Twenty-five people, including four from a Delhi family, were killed and six injured after a massive fire tore through their nightclub – Birch by Romeo Lane – in the coastal village of Arpora in north Goa around 11.45pm on Saturday. Authorities have said that even as the fire was gutting the structure, the two brothers booked tickets to Thailand at 1.17am on Sunday and flew out at 5.30am the same day. A lookout notice against them was issued roughly 24 hours later.
“We have detained them today in Thailand. We will bring them to Goa within a short span of time,” Sawant told reporters in state capital Panaji on Thursday. The brothers’ lawyer, Tanvir Ahmed Mir, told news agency Reuters that they were facing a “vengeful government” and that they went to Thailand to set up a restaurant in Phuket.
The Goa Police, while opposing the plea for transit bail, submitted before the court that the two had no known business interests in Thailand.
Sawant confirmed that the duo were detained by Thailand police based on a request by India and in connection with the case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder registered in Goa.
“With the help of the government of India, central agencies with the MHA and the MEA, we were able to detain them this morning. In a few days the Goa Police and the CBI will go there and bring them to Goa,” Sawant said, adding that he would like to personally thank the home and external affairs ministries.
“I’m happy to note that the police and the central agencies were able to fast track work promptly to ensure their detention. They will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Sawant added.
They were nabbed by the Royal Thai Police early on Thursday morning after being picked up from a hotel.
The authorities have said electrically detonated pyroguns shot off during a belly dancing programme likely caused the deadly blaze. A combination of factors — key safety lapses, including inadequate number of exits and use of pyroguns, a thatched roof and stacks of alcohol — intensified the fire, causing it to engulf the 300 square metre establishment in a matter of minutes.
Twenty of the victims were staffers at the club, while five were tourists.
In the first information report at 9.30am on Sunday, Goa Police booked the brothers along with other unnamed individuals for culpable homicide not amounting to murder (section 105), for acts endangering the lives and personal safety of others (125 (a) (b)), and for negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter (section 287) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On Sunday, four people were arrested – chief general manager of the club Rajiv Modak, 49; gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, 32 – both residents of Delhi; bar manager Rajveer Singhania, 32, and general manager Vivek Singh, 27 – both residents of Uttar Pradesh. On Monday, the police made a fifth arrest: Bharat Singh Kohli, 49, a resident of Punjabi Basti in New Delhi. And on Wednesday, police arrested co-owner Ajay Gupta from a private hospital in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. Gupta was sent to police custody for seven days on Thursday.
Gupta, who is listed as one of the partners in Being GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP, told reporters while being escorted out of the court that he had no role in the operations of the club.
“I am a sleeping partner. I have no role in the operations,” Gupta said. A sleeping partner, also referred to as a silent partner, is a colloquial term used to describe an investor who does not take active part in the running of a company, but is limited towards providing capital for the company.
His lawyer, advocate Rohan Dessai, said that his client was cooperating with the investigation.
“We had opposed the police remand, but the court has granted seven days... we are cooperating with the investigation,” Dessai said.
Gupta was allegedly in Goa at the time of the incident, but flew to Delhi the following morning and was admitted to hospital over a complaint of back pain, a police official said citing findings of the ongoing investigation. Gupta was arrested from Delhi on Wednesday after he was discharged, police said.
Sawant said that the police were closing in on village panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar, who allegedly failed to show up for questioning despite being repeatedly summoned over the past two days and sarpanch Roshan Redkar, who had in 2023 issued a trade licence to the establishment. Both Redkar and Bagkar have filed for anticipatory bail before a local court in Goa. On Thursday evening, the court granted them interim protection from arrest, following which they appeared before the Anjuna Police.
“One officer who is not cooperating, and he could be arrested by tomorrow, if he continues to not cooperate,” Sawant said.
He also said the Goa government launched a crackdown on high footfall establishments and shut down three places, including a nightclub at Vagator not far from where a second Romeo Lane beach-facing party shack was partially demolished earlier this week.
“Enforcement teams are already on the ground since yesterday visiting all clubs and high footfall restaurants -- consisting of senior scale officers, fire safety officers, building safety officers and electricity engineers. They have been given a checklist. Clubs that report major violations - their report will be submitted in a few days -- and on the basis of that we will close down their clubs,” Sawant also said.
