NEW DELHI: Goa nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, wanted in connection with the December 6 fire that claimed 25 lives, were brought back to India from Bangkok on an emergency certificate on Tuesday.As reported by TOI, the brothers boarded an IndiGo flight and arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 2.10 pm.
The were arrested by the Goa Police immediately upon arrival..
Earlier, they were seen wearing masks and surrounded by immigration and security officials at Thailand airport.Following their arrival, the duo is to be produced before the Patiala House court by teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and the Goa Police, where transit remand will be sought.
The brothers are likely to be flown to Goa by Tuesday night. A special team comprising CBI and intelligence officials had landed in Phuket, Thailand, on Saturday to complete the deportation formalities. The brothers were detained from Hotel Indigo Phuket Patong and later shifted to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok. The Indian Embassy subsequently issued an emergency certificate—a one-way travel document—after the brothers’ passports were suspended by the Indian government.
The Luthras had allegedly fled to Thailand just hours after the deadly fire, while police and fire services were still battling the blaze and rescuing those trapped inside the nightclub. They were detained last week by Thai authorities and moved to Bangkok after overstaying without valid travel documents.The Regional Passport Office in New Delhi later issued a notice to the brothers, seeking an explanation on why their passports should not be impounded.
After a lookout circular was issued, the Ministry of External Affairs decided to formally impound their passports. India and Thailand have an extradition treaty in place, signed in 2013 and effective since June 29, 2015.Goa Police investigations into the fire at the Birch nightclub revealed that, over the past 18 months, the establishment had allegedly been operating illegally—without mandatory permissions and on an expired licence.
Investigators said the licence had not been renewed as required since 2024. Despite these lapses, no action was taken by authorities until the fatal fire on December 6.So far, Goa Police have arrested Ajay Gupta (55), a Gurgaon-based partner of the Luthra brothers; Rajiv Modak (49), chief general manager; Priyanshu Thakur (32), gate manager; Rajveer Singhania (32), bar manager; Vivek Singh (27), general manager; and Delhi resident Bharat Kohli.The fire broke out at around 11.45 pm when more than 150 tourists were attending an event at the nightclub. A preliminary probe by police and the Directorate of Fire Services found that the blaze was triggered after electric firecrackers struck the wooden ceiling during the event, causing the structure to catch fire rapidly.
