Ten days after fleeing India on the night of a massive fire that ripped through their nightclub in Goa, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra landed in India after being deported from Thailand and were promptly taken into police custody.
Arriving in New Delhi on an IndiGo flight, they were handed over to authorities for further legal proceedings after being questioned at the airport for several hours. The two will be produced before a Delhi court where the Goa police will seek their transit remand.
Members of the media were also on the plane, who attempted to take pictures of the accused inside the aircraft, but were prevented from doing so by security accompanying them.
Gaurav, 44, and Saurabh, 40, are co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa’s Arpora where a massive fire killed 25 people on December 6.
They allegedly fled to Phuket in the early hours of December 7, hours after the fire, prompting authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
Following a request from the Indian government, both were then detained by Thai authorities on December 11 in Phuket. The Indian government later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Also Read: Luthra brothers detained in Thailand expected in Delhi today
The two are now facing a case of culpable homicide and negligence following the tragedy, which investigators allege was compounded by violations of mandatory fire safety norms and lapses by the management.
On December 11, a Delhi court rejected the Luthra brothers’ transit anticipatory bail pleas, with Additional Sessions Judge Vandana severely criticising their “conduct” and terming the allegations against them “prima facie grave and serious”.
The court also took serious note of the revelation that the two had booked tickets to Phuket one hour after the fire, a fact their counsel had initially “concealed” while seeking protection from immediate arrest.
The judge said that leaving immediately after the tragedy was a clear attempt to “evade the legal process”.
Meanwhile, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday observed that “someone has to be held accountable” for the tragedy and converted a civil suit against the nightclub into a public interest litigation (PIL).
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