Deportation process on as fugitive nightclub owners face return after deadly Goa fire

Goa Club Fire: Luthra Brothers Face Deportation

Fugitive nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, wanted in connection with the deadly fire at a Goa nightclub that killed 25 people, are likely to be deported from Thailand and brought back to India as early as Sunday, a week after the tragedy.
The Luthra brothers, Delhi-based businessmen and owners of the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in North Goa&rsquo;s Arpora, had fled the country within hours of the fire. The blaze broke out late on the night of December 6, and authorities allege that the brothers booked flight tickets to Thailand shortly after midnight and flew to Phuket early the next morning.
Following a request from the Goa Police, the Ministry of External Affairs cancelled their passports earlier this week, and an international lookout notice was issued. A Delhi court has also rejected their anticipatory bail plea, in which the brothers claimed they feared violence if taken into custody in Goa. They were detained by local authorities in Thailand on Thursday, after which the deportation process was initiated.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that a joint team of the Goa Police and central investigating agencies has been dispatched to Thailand to facilitate their return to India, with the brothers expected to be brought to Goa via Delhi.
The fire claimed 25 lives, including members of a Delhi family, and left several others injured. Investigators have stated that the brothers fled before a formal lookout notice could be issued, which came nearly a day later.
In the case registered by the Goa Police, the Luthra brothers have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, acts endangering life and personal safety, and negligent handling of fire or combustible material.
The probe has also widened to examine regulatory lapses. Police have recorded statements from members of the Arpora village panchayat, which is under scrutiny for granting a trade licence to the nightclub in 2023 despite the absence of a valid construction licence and occupancy certificate. Officials have pointed out that the trade licence expired in March 2024. The sarpanch and panchayat secretary have been questioned and granted interim protection from arrest.
Meanwhile, the police custody of four managers arrested in connection with the incident has been extended by five days as investigators continue to piece together the sequence of events and fix responsibility for the tragedy.

Gaurav (left) and Saurabh Luthra holding their passports

14 दिसंबर 2025 | 17:37 IST

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