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When will Luthra brothers be brought back to India from Thailand? Officials share update
Luthra brothers, Saurabh and Gaurav, fled India soon after fire broke out at their nightclub — taking a flight from Delhi to Phuket.
As Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, Delhi-based co-owners of the fire-ravaged Goa nightclub, await deportation from Thailand, the Indian embassy in Bangkok is in touch with Thai officials as the Luthra brothers were detained by local authorities in Phuket following an intervention by the embassy.
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While efforts are underway to deport the duo at the earliest, the Goa Police expects to get custody of the Luthra brothers by early next week, HT earlier reported.
“Deportation procedures of Luthra brothers are currently under process and Goa Police is in continuous coordination with the central agencies,” the state police said in a statement on Friday.
The duo had fled to Phuket on the intervening night of December 6 and 7 soon after their nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane in north Goa's Arpora, caught fire, leading to death of at least 25 people.
Detention in Phuket
Following their detention in Phuket, Thailand, on Thursday, the brothers have been moved to Bangkok, it is learnt. The Luthra brothers fled India soon after the fire broke out at their nightclub — taking a flight from Delhi to Phuket — anticipating arrest.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant has said a team from Goa Police and the CBI would bring the Luthras back "as soon as possible".
The fire was initially believed to have been caused by a cooking gas cylinder blast but now the use of firecrackers is under the lens too, police in the beach state have said. Heavy use of flammable material in the club's decor, along with violations of fire safety norms, has also come into focus after the tragedy.
Gaurav (44) and Saurabh (40) are accused of "injury causing death, manslaughter and murder" for organising a fire show “without taking proper care”.
What caused the fire?
The authorities have said electrically detonated pyroguns shot off during a belly dancing programme likely caused the deadly blaze. A combination of factors — key safety lapses, including an inadequate number of exits and use of pyroguns, a thatched roof and stacks of alcohol — intensified the fire, causing it to engulf the 300-square metre establishment in a matter of minutes.
Anticipatory bail plea
The brothers attempted to secure a four-week transit anticipatory bail from a court in Rohini, Delhi, with their lawyers arguing that they would face "irremediable and irreversible prejudice" if arrested upon return. They even claimed they would be lynched in Goa if they returned without bail protections.
However, the Delhi court rejected the plea, noting the “grave and serious nature of the offence”. The court also highlighted that the brothers had concealed the fact that they booked tickets for Phuket after the fire started, implying they planned their escape immediately after the incident.
The return of the Luthras is being executed through deportation, a route faster than the much more time-consuming process of extradition. The Indian government used the passport route for it — the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) suspended their passports, which thus meant they were in Phuket without valid travel documents.
Being in Thailand without valid travel documents constitutes an offense under Thai immigration laws, allowing the authorities there to remove them as undocumented foreigners. The operation to bring them to India is a collaboration involving the Indian foreign ministry, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Indian embassy in Thailand, in coordination with the local police and government.
Even though an extradition treaty exists between India and Thailand, that process would typically require a formal request and the complex process of proving “double criminality”, that the accused committed a crime punishable under both Indian and Thai laws, in a local court there. This has proven to be a lengthy procedure in attempts to bring back other wanted individuals like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, businessmen accused of massive financial frauds in India.
With inputs from Rezaul H Laskar and Gerard de Souza
