Birch nightclub co-owners brought to Goa after Thailand deportation

The co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, were brought to Goa from Delhi on Wednesday after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 fire that claimed 25 lives.

A team from the Goa Police arrived with the Luthra brothers at Manohar International Airport at around 10.45 am. Officials said the two would be taken to the Anjuna police station for interrogation before being produced before a court in Mapusa to seek regular remand.

The brothers are accused in the case registered after a devastating blaze tore through their nightclub in Arpora. Police have booked them on multiple charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Investigators said the Luthras fled the country within hours of the incident, leaving for Phuket in Thailand early on December 7.

Their departure prompted authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports. They were detained by Thai authorities in Phuket on December 11 following a formal request from the Indian government.

After their deportation, the brothers were arrested on arrival in Delhi on Tuesday. A local court granted the Goa Police a two-day transit remand, allowing investigators to bring them to the state to continue the probe.

Police said five managers and staff members of the nightclub have already been arrested in connection with the fire, as the investigation focuses on alleged lapses in safety norms and accountability for one of Goa’s deadliest nightlife tragedies in recent years.

With PTI inputs