A joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Goa Police has reached Bangkok and is hopeful of securing the custody of fugitive brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra by Tuesday, officials said. The two had fled to Thailand hours after a fire at their illegal nightclub in Goa claimed 25 lives earlier this month.
The brothers were detained by Thai authorities in Phuket on December 11 and later shifted to a detention centre in Bangkok. Officials said deportation formalities are underway and, once completed, the brothers are expected to be brought to India, first to Delhi and then to Goa, where they face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Investigators said they are in close coordination with Thai authorities to ensure a smooth transfer of custody following deportation. The Luthras are accused of fleeing the country shortly after the blaze that broke out at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora on the night of December 5.
So far, the Goa Police have arrested six people in connection with the case, including five managerial staff and Ajay Gupta, identified as a business partner of the Luthras. Police are also searching for another suspect, Surinder Kumar Khosla, the British national who owns the property where the nightclub operated. Khosla had signed a lease agreement in 2023 with the firm under which the club was run and is believed to be outside the country.
Investigations have revealed that the property lacked mandatory approvals, including a construction licence, occupancy certificate and fire department clearance, and was facing a demolition notice.
Of the 25 people who died in the fire, 20 were basement kitchen staff who were trapped with no escape route when flames spread to the upper floors. Four members of a Delhi family&mdash;three sisters and the husband of one of them&mdash;were also among the victims. Authorities said most of the victims died due to suffocation.
Officials said the fire broke out around 11.45 pm, after which the brothers booked flight tickets to Thailand at 1.17 am and left the country by 5.30 am. A lookout notice against them was issued the following day.
An FIR registered last Sunday booked the accused under provisions related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, endangering life and personal safety, and negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The brothers&rsquo; passports were subsequently cancelled, and an Interpol Blue Corner notice was issued. Police raids at their Delhi residences found that they had already fled. A Delhi court later rejected their anticipatory bail plea, in which they claimed they feared violence if arrested in Goa.
Meanwhile, state authorities have intensified action against unsafe nightlife establishments, sealing two nightclubs and inspecting others for violations of safety norms.

The brothers were detained by the Royal Thai Police from their Phuket hotel

CBI, Goa Police in Bangkok as deportation process nears completion

Luthra brothers’ custody expected by Tuesday

CBI, Goa Police in Bangkok as deportation process nears completion

December 15, 2025 | 17:10 IST