Goa CM Vows to Bring Luthra Brothers Back ASAP as Thai Police Detain Fugitives
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Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Thursday that a joint team of the Goa Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will depart for Thailand in the coming days to secure the custody of fugitive Luthra brothers, Gaurav and Saurabh. The brothers, co-owners of the north Goa nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, are accused of regulatory violations linked to a devastating fire that claimed 25 lives last weekend. According to Sawant, the Luthra brothers have been detained by Thai authorities following a request from India in connection with a culpable homicide not amounting to murder case registered in Goa. The detention was facilitated by the Government of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Sawant expressed satisfaction with the swift action taken by the police and central agencies, stating that the brothers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Luthra brothers were reportedly planning to flee to Phuket, Thailand, just 90 minutes after the fire broke out at their club. In related news, Ajay Gupta, a co-owner of the club, was arrested in Delhi on Wednesday and brought to Goa on a transit remand. Gupta claimed to be a sleeping partner with no involvement in the club's operations. The police investigation has also led to the targeting of panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar and sarpanch Roshan Redkar, who issued a trade license to the establishment in 2023. As part of a crackdown on high-footfall establishments, the state government has shut down three places, including a nightclub in Vagator. Enforcement teams are conducting inspections of clubs and high-footfall restaurants, and those found to have major violations will face closure.
