Panaji: After Luthra brothers – Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, wanted in connection with the tragic fire at Goa’s Birch Hotel, were detained in Thailand, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reaffirmed that strict action will be taken against them, asserting that the government is committed to securing justice for the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragedy.
The Chief Minister stated that teams from the Goa Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will travel to Thailand to deport the accused to India.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Sawant said, “We will bring them to Goa as soon as possible. Teams of the Goa Police and the CBI will go there (to Thailand). Henceforth, any violation and encroachment will not be tolerated. Two suspended women government officers are cooperating with the investigation, while one is not; action will be taken accordingly… To ensure such an accident doesn’t occur again, our enforcement team, comprising senior officers, fire safety officers, and building construction officers, is visiting various clubs and restaurants. The clubs where serious violations are found will be closed.”
While in conversation with ANI, CM Sawant reiterated, “Our govt will work to give justice to the 25 people who lost their lives…We will put them (the club owners, Luthra brothers) behind bars.”
He further 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. We also ordered the Regional Passport Office to cancel their passports. 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 take legal action and put them behind bars.”
The Luthra brothers, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, wanted in connection with the tragic fire at Goa’s Birch Hotel, were detained in Thailand today and are expected to be deported to India shortly.
According to the Goa Police, the brothers were booked on December 7 for fleeing the country while authorities were battling the fire and rescuing trapped guests. Following a Blue Corner Notice issued by Interpol against the absconding accused, Thai authorities apprehended the accused in Thailand.
On December 6, late at night at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, a devastating blaze claimed 25 lives, including five tourists and 20 staff members. Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra own the restaurant.
The Rohini court has reserved the order on the anticipatory bail pleas of Gaurav and Saurav Luthra.
The Goa police opposed the anticipatory bail pleas filed by the Luthra brothers, Gaurav and Saurabh. Goa police said that Gaurav Luthra, Saurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta are signatories in the club. The club’s Panchayat licence, issued earlier, has already expired and was not renewed.
The counsel for the Goa Police argued that the brothers had not cooperated, thereby disentitling them to extraordinary protection by the court. The counsel said that the brothers left India on December 7. However, they said that they had left on the night of December 6. This, the counsel argued, showed that Saurav and Gaurav Luthra misled the court, misled the authorities and left the country.
The Goa Police further claimed that the medical grounds cited by the alleged accused are bogus, as the doctor did not see the patient.
Senior advocate Tanvir Ahmed appeared on behalf of the Luthra brothers and submitted that, as per the FIR, the incident that occurred was due to negligence and was not homicidal. The counsel argued that there was a threat to the applicant’s family.
He further said that the applicants are before the court to protect life, and that a man before the court is not an absconder. The counsel said that the perception of innocence exists under the law, and the accused are not convicts.
He further informed the court that the brothers are ready to join the investigation. He argued that no notice to join the investigation was given, and a warrant was issued straightaway.
The counsel said that the Luthras’ managers run 40 restaurants all over india, the men sitting in Delhi cannot be present everywhere. He noted that the Luthras had an event in Phuket and therefore booked a ticket.
The counsel argued that an arrest cannot be made in a rage or in vengeance.
The Luthra brothers, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, wanted in connection with the tragic fire at Goa’s Birch Hotel, were detained in Thailand and are expected to be deported to India. Another of their partners, Ajay Gupta, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mapusa on Thursday.
The court has remanded him to seven days of police custody for further investigation, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Goa Police is strengthening its case to secure the deportation of the owners of Birch in Aprora, the scene of a devastating fire on December 6 that killed 25 and injured several.
According to the Goa Police, a criminal case vide FIR No. 154/2025 dated December 07 was registered at the Police Station Arpora Anjuna, North Goa, under sections 105, 125, 125 (a), 125(b), and 287 read with 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
The FIR states that on December 6, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the accused persons, had organised a fire show at the restaurant Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, without taking proper precautions and without providing fire safety equipment and other safety measures.
The fire show resulted in a serious fire, due to which 25 innocent people succumbed to death and also caused serious injuries to tourists and staff. The subjects, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, and others, despite knowing that the restaurant does not have emergency exit doors on the ground or deck floors for evacuation in case of emergency, organised the fire show.
During the investigation, it was also revealed that the subjects Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, along with other accused, were operating the said restaurant without obtaining the necessary permissions/licenses from the competent authorities. (With inputs from ANI)
