The dramatic 10-day international pursuit of the owners of a Goa nightclub, where a fire killed 25 people, culminated on Tuesday with their arrest at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were taken into custody by a waiting team of Goa Police immediately after their aircraft from Bangkok touched down at 1:45 PM.
The Final Chapter of a Cross-Border Chase
The brothers, who fled India on December 7, just hours after the catastrophic blaze at their Arpora-based nightclub 'Birch by Romeo Lane', were finally brought back on an emergency certificate. Their Indian passports had been suspended by the Ministry of External Affairs soon after they escaped to Thailand. Goa's Director General of Police, Alok Kumar, confirmed the arrest to the media.
Their journey back was under tight security. Spotted at Bangkok airport wearing masks and flanked by immigration officials, they were seated separately at the rear of the IndiGo flight with security personnel. Upon landing in Delhi, they were produced before the Patiala House Court around 6:45 PM, where Goa Police sought a three-day transit remand. The court granted a two-day remand, following which the brothers were medically examined and taken back to the airport.
Legal Proceedings and the Path to Custody
The Anjuna police will now produce the Luthra brothers before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Mapusa, Goa, on Wednesday to seek police custody for further investigation. A police team is scheduled to fly them to Goa early Wednesday morning. "After taking custody of the deported Luthra brothers in New Delhi and on obtaining a transit remand, Goa police is bringing both the accused to the state," stated DySP Nilesh Rane, the public relations officer for Goa Police.
The case against them is serious. An FIR has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Their legal woes intensified last week when a Delhi court rejected their anticipatory bail plea. The international manhunt began after a lookout notice was issued, leading the MEA to impound their passports.
How the Net Closed on the Fugitives in Thailand
Stranded in Thailand without valid travel documents due to the passport suspension, the duo was eventually detained by Thai authorities in Phuket for staying illegally. The formal extradition treaty between India and Thailand, active since 2015, paved the way for their return. A special Indian team flew to Phuket on Saturday to coordinate the deportation. The brothers were moved to a detention centre in Bangkok, where the Indian embassy issued them an emergency certificate—a one-way travel document—to facilitate their forced return.
When questioned by reporters at the court, the Luthra brothers only responded by folding their hands and nodding, offering no verbal explanation for their decision to flee the country after the tragedy.
The fire, which occurred around 11:45 PM on December 6, had over 150 tourists inside the venue. Preliminary investigations by the police and the directorate of fire services suggest the blaze started after electric firecrackers hit the nightclub's wooden ceiling during an event.
The Luthra brothers are not the only arrests in this case. Goa Police have already taken into custody several other individuals connected to the nightclub's operations, including partner Ajay Gupta, chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, general manager Vivek Singh, and Bharat Kohli.
