Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday assured that Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the purported owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora where 25 people were killed in a fire tragedy, will be brought to India “as soon as possible”.
The Luthra brothers had fled to Thailand after booking a flight just 1.5 hours after the fire at their nightclub broke out on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, CM Sawant said that teams of Goa police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will travel to Thailand where the Luthra brothers are detained to ensure their deportation at the earliest.
“We will bring them to Goa as soon as possible. Teams of the Goa Police and the CBI will go there (to Thailand),” he said.
The chief minister vowed to give justice to the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragic incident. “We will put them (the club owners, Luthra brothers) behind bars.”
Highlighting the actions taken by his government after the fire, Sawant said, “We arrested six people after the tragic fire incident. We also suspended three people and are investigating them on a fast track. One of the club’s three owners was arrested in Delhi, and an LOC was issued against the other two owners.”
The CM said that the state government ordered the Regional Passport Office to cancel their passports and the brothers were detained in Thailand.
“With the help of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Minister, the Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand. Our team from Goa and central agencies will bring the two club owners to Goa. We will take legal action and put them behind bars,” he said.
Luthra brothers denied transit anticipatory bail
Meanwhile, a Rohini court in Delhi today rejected the transit anticipatory bail plea of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
The Luthra brothers, who are residents of Delhi, had filed a plea before the court seeking transit anticipatory bail after a Non Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against them in connection with the fire incident.
However, the Goa police opposed the bail and told the court that they allegedly planned their escape while authorities were battling the fire and rescuing trapped people.
According to the Goa Police, the brothers fled to Thailand after booking a flight just 1.5 hours after the deadly nightclub fire broke out.
Another of their partners, Ajay Gupta, was arrested and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mapusa today. The court sent him to a seven-day police custody for further investigation.