Goa Nightclub Fire Owners Deported to India, Face Arrest and Court Appearances
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Two brothers who owned a Goa nightclub where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives have been deported from Thailand and are on their way back to India. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, fled to Thailand immediately after the tragic fire on December 6-7. However, Thai law enforcement officials detained them at their hotel in Phuket last week following an Indian government request. Upon arrival in India, the brothers will be held in custody by the Goa police and produced before the Patiala House Court in Delhi on Tuesday to seek transit remand. A Goa police team will then transport them to Goa, where they will face charges related to culpable homicide, endangering life and safety, and negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter. The Luthras were charged under sections 105, 125(a) and (b), and 287 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after an FIR was filed last Sunday. The complaint alleges that the brothers organized a fire show at the venue without taking adequate precautions or providing necessary fire safety equipment. Their anticipatory bail plea was earlier rejected by a local Delhi court, which cited concerns that the brothers might be lynched in Goa, where authorities have been cracking down on illegal bars and clubs since the fire. The brothers' passports have been impounded, and a Blue notice was issued against them via Interpol.
