Thai authorities have detained Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the co-owners of the Goa nightclub devastated by a fatal fire, at a Hotel Indigo in Phuket’s Patong area. The brothers, who bolted from India via an IndiGo flight amid the tragedy that claimed 25 lives, now face deportation back home, thanks to swift passport suspensions that rendered them fugitives on foreign soil. Coordination between Indian officials and Thai police aims to repatriate them by the week’s close.
The Luthra siblings, proprietors of the ill-fated Birch by Romeo Lane venue in Arpora, were located through meticulous tracking of their passport and flight records. Once alerted, Thai officers confiscated their possessions and transferred them to an immigration holding facility. Images circulated by Phuket police on Thursday depicted the pair in restraints, underscoring the abrupt end to their evasion. With their documents invalidated after ignoring a Delhi regional passport office summons, the brothers’ status turned precarious, streamlining India’s formal detention request. They are expected to stay confined until formal extradition proceedings conclude.
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Deportation logistics, however, promise delays of no less than four days. Indian agencies anticipate completing the handover by Friday to sidestep weekend disruptions, but any hitches could extend the timeline. The Indian embassy in Bangkok must issue emergency travel certificates, potentially requiring the duo’s relocation to the capital for processing. A Goa police contingent has already arrived in Phuket to oversee arrangements. Goa Director General of Police Alok Kumar confirmed the minimum four-day wait, while Chief Minister Pramod Sawant pledged an escort detail for their return, vowing immediate arrest upon landing. Lacking direct routes from Thailand to Goa, the flight path will route through Delhi before a final leg southward.
The duo’s flight from justice unfolded in the fire’s chaotic aftermath. Goa investigators report that, at 1:17 a.m. on December 7, the Luthras booked seats on a Phuket departure—even as emergency crews fought flames engulfing their establishment. By 5:30 a.m., IndiGo flight 6E-1073 had lifted off. That same morning, a Goa squad arrived in Delhi bearing arrest warrants, combing the brothers’ homes and workplaces to no avail. Eviction notices were affixed to their residence, and by dusk, a nationwide lookout alert circulated, soon amplified by an Interpol blue corner notice.
The inferno erupted around 11:45 p.m. on December 6, likely ignited by electrical fireworks igniting the wooden roof during a gathering of more than 150 visitors. While scores fled to safety, others perished in the basement, blocked by a blazing exit. To date, arrests encompass business associate Ajay Gupta, aged 55, alongside five employees: Rajiv Modak, 49, the chief general manager; Priyanshu Thakur, 32, gate supervisor; Rajveer Singhania, 32, bar overseer; Vivek Singh, 27, general manager; and Bharat Kohli, operations head.
Facilitating the cross-border effort is the India-Thailand extradition pact, active since 2015, which officials credit for accelerating the brothers’ recall.