Luthra Brothers Caught In Thailand, Seen In Photos With Hands Tied

Delhi brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who fled India after a fire at their nightclub in Goa left 25 people dead, have been detained in Thailand. They are seen with their hands tied and holding their passports as they stand next to local police officers in two separate photos.

The restaurateurs from Delhi, who own the Romeo Lane chain with outlets in 22 cities and four countries, fled to Phuket in Thailand hours after a deadly fire ravaged 'Birch by Romeo Lane', their nightclub in north Goa's Arpora village. The brothers face a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligence. Indian authorities will now press for their deportation to bring them to trial in Goa. According to sources, a team of Indian officials have flown to Thailand and will bring back the Luthras within 24 hours. 

Twenty-five people were killed, and six others were injured after a fire broke out at the Goa nightclub late on Saturday night. That evening, the club was hosting a musical night and about 100 people, most of them tourists, were having a great time. Videos show a dancer and musicians performing on Bollywood chartbusters. Electric firecrackers were used during the performance, and this likely caused the fire.

What turned the nightclub into a death trap was the heavy use of flammable material in the decor and the shocking violation of fire safety norms. No functional fire extinguishers or safety alarms were found on the premises. Also, the access road is so narrow that fire engines could not pass through and had to be parked nearly 400 m away. This delayed the rescue operation and made the firefight very challenging.

By the time firefighters put out the blaze, 25 people had died. Five of them were tourists, and 20 others were staff members. Most of the victims were found in the basement and died from inhaling toxic smoke.

The tragic incident shocked the coastal state during the peak holiday season. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured strict action. Four staff members were arrested, and a search began for the Luthras. A team from the Goa police came to the national capital, and the Delhi cops joined the hunt. As police started conducting raids at their Delhi addresses, they found the Luthras had booked their tickets soon after the fire began and flew out hours later. Ajay Gupta, the brothers' business partner, has been arrested in Delhi.

The Luthra brothers have approached a Delhi court with a plea for anticipatory bail. They said in the petition that they are licensees and not actual owners of the building where the club was located. The brothers sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they would not be arrested immediately after their return to Delhi. They have also argued that they flew to Thailand for a business meeting and did not flee due to the fire. They said in the petition that they were not present at the club at the time of the incident.