Goa: Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the brothers who co-own the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, were taken to the Anjuna police station on Wednesday after undergoing medical examinations in North Goa, officials said. The two are key accused in the deadly nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives earlier this month.
The Luthras were flown into Goa from Delhi earlier in the day after being deported from Thailand, where they had been detained in connection with the case. Their arrival at Manohar International Airport in Mopa was recorded at around 10.45 am, following which they were placed in the custody of the Goa Police.
Police first escorted the brothers to a primary health centre in Siolim for preliminary checks before shifting them to the District Hospital in Mapusa for a more detailed medical assessment. The examination reportedly lasted over an hour. Once cleared by doctors, they were transported under heavy security to the Anjuna police station, located roughly 10 kilometres away.
Eyewitnesses said a convoy of six police vehicles accompanied the accused during transit, with the two brothers seated in separate cars as a precautionary measure.
According to police officials, the siblings will be questioned in connection with the December 6 blaze at the Arpora-based nightclub. Investigators are examining alleged safety lapses and management failures that may have contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
The Luthra brothers are also expected to be produced before a court in Mapusa, where police will seek their regular remand.
Following the incident, Anjuna police registered a case against the nightclub owners under multiple sections of law, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday immediately after being deported and were granted a two-day transit remand by a local court.
Investigators say the duo left India for Phuket in Thailand in the early hours of December 7, just hours after the fire. Their departure led authorities to cancel their passports and issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice. Thai officials detained them on December 11 after receiving a formal request from India, eventually facilitating their deportation under bilateral legal arrangements.
So far, five managers and staff members of the nightclub have also been taken into custody as the probe into one of Goa’s deadliest fire incidents continues.
