Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers sent to 5-day police custody

The court has sent the two brothers, owners of the Goa nightclub, to 5 days of police custody after they landed in Delhi on Tuesday.

Goa nightclub owners and brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were arrested upon landing in Delhi on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a Goa court remanded the co-owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, where 25 people died in a fire on December 6, to a 5-day police custody.

The Luthra brothers get detained after landing in India.

The Luthra brothers, who had flown to Thailand after the massive Goa nightclub fire, which they own, were deported and landed in Delhi recently. The deportation process for the brothers had begun the weekend, even as a court haddenied anticipatory bail to them. The Delhi-based entrepreneurs had fled to Phuket in Thailand, an hour-and-a-half after a blaze engulfed their nightclub in Goa’s Arpora on December 6. They had been detained by Thai Law enforcement officials at their hotel in Phuket last week, after New Delhi made a request to that effect. The Government of India had earlier approached international authorities and issued a Blue Notice via Interpol.

The brothers, co-owners of the Goa nightclub, claimed back pain.

Vishnu Joshi, advocate representing the victim’s family, said that the brothers said they are suffering from back pain, following which the Goa court ordered a fresh medical examination for them, PTI reported. Joshi said, “The court considered all submissions and directed the police to first conduct a pre-medical examination and re-examination. No medical necessity was found, following which the court, exercising its full authority, granted five days of police remand.”

The passports of the two accused had been impounded and later cancelled by the Ministry of External Affairs while they were in Thailand. This was followed by the Indian Embassy issuing two emergency certificates.