Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the brothers who own the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a deadly fire recently claimed 25 lives, were brought back to India on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand.
Their return marks a significant breakthrough in the investigation into one of Goa’s worst fire tragedies in recent years.
Officials from the Goa Police, who were present at the Delhi airport, arrested the brothers shortly after their arrival. Following immigration clearance, a joint team of Goa Police and Delhi Police took them into custody inside the airport, India Today reported.
The accused will be produced before a Delhi court, where investigators are expected to seek transit remand to take them to Goa for further questioning.
According to investigators, the Luthra brothers fled to Thailand within hours of the incident. Thai authorities later detained them for overstaying, after which Indian authorities suspended their passports, facilitating their deportation, the report added.
The devastating fire broke out at the nightclub in Arpora village, North Goa, around midnight on December 6, killing 25 people, most of whom were staff members, along with a few tourists.
Investigators have said the blaze was triggered during a fire show conducted without adequate safety measures, leading to the rapid spread of flames inside the venue.
