The government has suspended the Luthra brothers’ passports as investigators found they booked Phuket tickets while the Goa nightclub fire was still raging, tightening the probe into the tragedy.
File image: Charred remains of the Birch by Romeo Lane restaurant after a fire broke out, claiming 25 lives, in Arpora. (ANI Video Grab)
In a decisive step that tightens the net around the absconding owners of a Goa nightclub where 25 people died in a catastrophic fire, the government has suspended the passports of prime accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
The move blocks the brothers, who are reportedly in Thailand at present, from travelling further and strengthens India’s push for their deportation.
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According to the Ministry of External Affairs, passports can be suspended under Section 10A of the Passports Act, 1967. Notably, one cannot use a suspended passport for international travel. Furthermore, its reinstatement requires meeting legal conditions. Officials indicated that the next step could be cancellation of the passports altogether.
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The move effectively prevents the duo from leaving Phuket and, officials believe, bolsters India’s chances of securing their deportation through diplomatic and INTERPOL-backed channels.
Investigators believe the Luthras left India almost immediately after the blaze ripped through the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub near the Arpora River backwaters around midnight on Sunday. Data accessed by police shows they logged into the MakeMyTrip platform at 1:17 am on December 7, while emergency teams were still battling the flames, and boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 from Delhi to Phuket at 5:30 am the same morning.
Goa nightclub fire: Birch by Romeo Lane owners fled the country hours after blaze killed 25
Even as scrutiny over their timing of departure intensified, the brothers approached Delhi’s Rohini Court on Wednesday seeking transit anticipatory bail. Their counsel argued that the visit to Thailand was for “professional engagements and potential restaurant sites” and insisted the travel was not meant to evade investigation.
The court refused interim protection. The Goa Police had opposed the plea, saying the brothers fled within hours of the tragedy and should not receive relief while abroad.
A separate IANS report noted that a Blue Corner Notice has been issued and that the duo “continues to remain untraceable”, with agencies in India and overseas tracking their movements.
Delhi Police informed the court that a Non-Bailable Warrant had already been issued against them by a Goa court.
In parallel, the Goa Police on Thursday brought the arrested co-owner, Ajay Gupta, to the state after he was granted a 36-hour transit remand by a Delhi court on Wednesday (December 10). Gupta is one of the four owners of the nightclub and is expected to face detailed questioning in Anjuna.
Prior arrests have included staff members such as the Chief General Manager, General Manager, Bar Manager, Gate Manager and another employee. Officials have not ruled out more arrests as reconstruction of the incident continues.
Also Read: Goa nightclub fire: Minister demands accountability as Luthra brothers flee
The fire, which erupted around midnight on Sunday at the bustling Baga-area club, killed 25 people, including tourists and staff, and left six others injured. Police say the venue’s narrow entry and exit points likely trapped many victims.
The district administration has since demolished part of the Romeo Lane restaurant in Vagator, also owned by the Luthra brothers. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the inquiry report would be completed within eight days, even as compensation is being disbursed and safety audits across entertainment venues have been intensified.
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