Traced To Hotel Based On Travel, Passport Details
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Goa, were detained by Thai police early on Thursday on the request of Indian law enforcement agencies. As their passports were suspended, they became persona non grata in Thailand, prompting the local police to take them into custody, sources said. Sources said that a team of Thai police located them at Hotel Indigo in Patong, Phuket, based on their travel and passport details and seized their belongings and luggage. Their pictures in Phuket police’s custody were released on Thursday and showed the duo handcuffed. They were subsequently shifted to the immigration detention centre where they are likely to be lodged till their deportation. The cops are hopeful of the brothers’ return to India by the end of this week with formal channels in communication with each other. India and Thailand had signed a formal extradition treaty in 2013, which came into force in 2015. Duo purchased flight tickets on Dec 7, lookout circular issued within 24 hrsA team has been sent to Phuket to coordinate the deportation, sources said. The brothers have turned ‘wanted’ after fleeing the country following last week’s blaze at their club in Goa that claimed 25 lives. They had fled to Phuket, Thailand and were staying at a hotel. Goa police had requested Interpol, through MEA and CBI, for their apprehension. A blue corner notice was subsequently issued against them by Interpol.The regional passport office in Delhi had issued a notice to the brothers seeking an explanation from both as to why action should not be initiated to impound their passports within seven days. Their passports were subsequently declared invalid, easing the execution of Indian request for their detention.According to Goa police, the brothers purchased seats on a Phuket-bound flight at 1.17 am on Dec 7, even as firefighting operations were under way. By 5.30 am, they were airborne on IndiGo flight 6E-1073.By morning, a Goa police team had reached Delhi with an arrest warrant for the Luthra brothers and searched their residential and office premises, but they were not found. “Since they were unavailable, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted at their residence. By the evening of Dec 7, a lookout circular was issued against both by the Bureau of Immigration at the request of Goa police,” a police officer said.The blaze broke out around 11.45pm Saturday (Dec 6) during an event attended by more than 150 tourists. A preliminary investigation by Goa police and Directorate of Fire Services found it was triggered when electric firecrackers struck the wooden ceiling. As flames coursed through the roof, guests and performers bolted. While most of them were able to step out of the club, many were trapped in the basement after the exit caught fire.Besides a partner named Ajay Gupta, five staff members of Birch, chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, general manager Vivek Singh, and operations manager Bharat Kohli have been arrested till now.
