Goa nightclub fire: Owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra detained in Thailand

According to News18 report, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people died in the fire incident, have been detained in Thailand.

On 10 December, a Delhi court refused to grant any interim protection from arrest to Luthra. In court, the Luthras’ lawyer denied allegations that they had eloped, claimed the trip was for a business meeting and argued that the brothers are only licensees, not the actual owners of the nightclub.

In his bail plea, Saurabh requested four weeks of advance transit protection, arguing that returning to Goa posed an “imminent threat to his life, liberty and security” due to the angry mob.

An Interpol Blue Corner Notice was issued against Luthra. Officials said the two booked their tickets to Phuket, Thailand, through a travel portal at 1:17 am on December 7, within an hour of learning about the devastating fire.

While the police and administration were still battling the fire and attempting to rescue the staff, the two left India on an IndiGo flight early on Sunday.

On December 10, Goa Police arrested Ajay Gupta, who claimed to be the silent partner and investor in ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in North Goa. Gupta, a resident of Jammu, was produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinod Joshi, who granted 36-hour transit remand to the Goa Police to take him to Goa.

Goa Police has arrested five managers and staff members in connection with the fire that broke out at the nightclub in Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6.