Goa nightclub fire: Owners who fled to Thailand detained

Two brothers wanted in connection with a deadly fire at their nightclub in India’s Goa state, which killed 25 people, have been detained in Thailand, India’s ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, told the BBC.

Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, who own Birch By Romeo Lane club, fled to Phuket, shortly after the incident earlier this week.

“They will be sent back [to India],” Mr Singh said on Thursday, a day after a court in Delhi refused to grant them protection from arrest and the Goa government approached India’s external affairs ministry to revoke their passports.

The brothers have not made any public statements, but their lawyer told the court that they were being made victims of a “witch hunt”.

The incident took place early on Sunday, when a deadly blaze broke out at the club in a busy nightlife area of the tourist state.

Investigators believe the fire was triggered by fireworks being set off inside the venue.

Most of the victims were staff members, while five were tourists.

Investigators say they raided the brothers’ Delhi home hours after the fire but found they had fled the country. Police then sought Interpol’s help to track them.

Saurabh Luthra, whose social media identifies him as the chairman of the company which operates the club, posted a statement on social media on Monday expressing “profound grief”.

“The management stands in unwavering solidarity with the families of the deceased as well as those injured,” he wrote, adding that the nightclub’s management would provide “assistance, support and cooperation to the bereaved”.

On Wednesday, Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the police has arrested six persons in connection with the incident so far, adding that “more arrests will be made soon”.

Goa is a former Portuguese colony on the Arabian Sea. Its nightlife, sandy beaches, and resorts attract millions of tourists annually.

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