#JUSTIN: Goa Nightclub Owners Detained in Thailand Five Days After Deadly Arpora Fire
Luthra brothers detained abroad five days after 25 died in fire.
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the ill-fated Birch by Romeo Lane rooftop nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, were formally detained by Thai immigration authorities in Phuket on Thursday, exactly five days after a devastating fire ripped through their venue on the night of December 6-7, killing 25 revellers and injuring dozens more in one of the worst nightclub tragedies in recent Indian history.
Investigators established that the brothers fled India within hours of the blaze, booking and boarding an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Phuket at 1:17 am on December 7, even as firefighters were still battling flames and recovering bodies from the charred premises. The suspiciously timed departure, made during IndiGo’s nationwide operational meltdown, triggered immediate suspicion and prompted swift issuance of a Look-Out Circular followed by an Interpol Blue Notice that finally cornered them in Thailand.
A special Goa Police team is already preparing to fly to Phuket to complete extradition formalities and bring the Luthra brothers back in custody to face multiple charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and gross violation of fire-safety regulations. The FIR explicitly accuses the owners, managers, and event organisers of knowingly conducting a high-risk fire performance without extinguishers, smoke alarms, suppression systems, emergency exits on either floor, or any valid fire NOC, fully aware that such negligence could prove fatal.
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The brothers had earlier attempted to evade arrest by filing for anticipatory bail in a Rohini court in Delhi, claiming they were merely investors and not involved in day-to-day operations, while insisting their Thailand trip was a long-scheduled business meeting. The court rejected their plea, and in a separate development, their second illegally constructed beach shack in Goa was bulldozed on direct orders from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who has publicly vowed zero tolerance for safety violations across the state’s nightlife establishments.
With co-owner Ajay Gupta already detained in Delhi (where he maintains he was only a sleeping partner), pressure is mounting on the entire management chain as forensic reports and survivor testimonies continue to expose systematic disregard for basic safety protocols, turning what was marketed as a premium party destination into a deadly trap for hundreds of young revellers celebrating the weekend.
Also Read: Rapid Rise and Sudden Fall: Luthra Brothers Booked After Fatal Goa Nightclub Blaze
