Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Amid the deepening probe into the Goa nightclub fire, bar owners Gaurav and Saurav Luthra are likely to return to India on Sunday, officials said. The development comes a week after a massive fire gutted the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa, killing at least 25 people.
The Delhi-based businessmen had fled to Phuket, Thailand, within hours of the blaze. They boarded an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Phuket on Sunday morning after learning about the fire that broke out late Saturday night, December 6, at their club in Arpora, North Goa.
According to reports, the deportation process has already begun, and the duo is expected to be brought back to India by Sunday, Hindustan Times reported. The passports of the two brothers were revoked by the MEA on Tuesday, following instructions from the Goa Police. Subsequently, an Interpol Blue Corner notice was issued. Police also raided their Delhi residences on Sunday, but the brothers had already fled by then.
The anticipatory bail plea filed by Gaurav and Saurav Luthra was rejected by a local court. The brothers have claimed they feared being “lynched” in Goa, where bulldozer action has been carried out against illegal bars and clubs in recent days.
Authorities stated that even as the fire was engulfing the structure—having started around 11.45 pm—the brothers booked tickets to Thailand at 1.17 am and flew out at 5.30 am. A lookout notice against them could only be issued 24 hours later. The Luthra brothers were detained by local authorities in Thailand on Thursday.
In an FIR registered last Sunday, Goa Police booked the brothers along with other unidentified individuals for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 105, acts endangering life and personal safety under Sections 125(a) and 125(b), and negligent conduct involving fire or combustible substances under Section 287 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On Saturday, police recorded statements from five members of the Arpora village panchayat, which is under scrutiny for issuing a trade licence to the establishment in 2023 without a valid construction licence or occupancy certificate. Several other departments are also believed to have granted permissions to the establishment based on the licence issued by the panchayat.
