Authorities are tightening the net around Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra as Interpol alerts, fresh court action and new details of their late-night escape deepen the probe into the Goa nightclub fire tragedy that killed 25 people.
The government late Wednesday cancelled the passports of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of a Goa nightclub where a fire killed 25 people last week. The move blocks the Delhi-based brothers, who fled to Thailand hours after the blaze that killed 25 people last week, from travelling onwards from Phuket and, officials say, strengthens India’s chances of getting them deported through diplomatic channels with Interpol’s help.
The External Affairs Ministry had received a formal request from the Goa government to revoke the Luthras’ passports, sources told India Today TV earlier. Interpol issued a Blue Corner Notice against the brothers on Tuesday, and they are believed to be hiding in Phuket.
Investigators say the brothers booked their tickets to Thailand at 1:17 am on December 7, barely an hour after news of the fire at their club, Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, began to spread. Police and emergency teams were still battling the blaze when the booking was made.
In court, however, the Luthras’ insist the travel had been planned earlier. Their lawyer told Delhi’s Rohini court that Saurabh left for Thailand on December 6 “for professional engagements and potential restaurant sites.” He argued that the brothers were seeking “legal protection to return to India without immediate arrest.”
The court refused to grant them immediate relief on Wednesday and posted their anticipatory bail plea for Thursday. The Goa Police opposed the request, saying the brothers fled hours after the incident and should not be allowed to seek protection while abroad.
Represented by senior advocates Sidharth Luthra and Tanvir Ahmed Mir, the brothers claimed they feared being arrested as soon as they landed. “I am saying I want to come back to India; they want to arrest me,” their counsel argued in court. “Witch-hunting is what I am concerned about.”
The Luthras also said the demolition of their second property in Goa — a beach shack bulldozed earlier this week — showed the “vindictive nature” of the action against them. Authorities maintain the shack was illegal and lacked all fire-safety clearances, making it a risk similar to the nightclub.
