Blue corner notice likely against Goa nightclub owners Saurabh & Gaurav Luthra who absconded to Thailand; what is it?

Authorities also issued a lookout notice against the Luthra brothers, who were in Delhi when the incident took place

A Blue Corner Notice could be issued against Goa club owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, who escaped to Thailand shortly after a devastating fire at their ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub that left 25 dead, according to sources cited by NDTV.

The notice, an international request, forms part of Interpol’s colour-coded notices that enables countries to share alerts and requests for information worldwide. According to the Interpol website, a Blue notice is served to collect additional information about a person's identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.

The owners of the nightclub fled to Phuket in Thailand on an IndiGo flight at 5:30 am on Sunday (December 7), hours after the massive blaze claimed 25 lives.

A magisterial inquiry was launched to probe the incident that took place in Goa’s Arpora. The committee formed visited the site and called for all the relevant documents.

Authorities also issued a lookout notice against the Luthra brothers, who were in Delhi when the incident took place. They have sought Interpol’s assistance to trace and arrest the promoters.

A senior official told news agency PTI that this swift exit by Luthras shows their "intent to avoid the police investigation." The official said soon after an FIR was filed, police moved swiftly and dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the two accused.

"Since they were not available, a notice under appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house," the official said, adding that by December 7, a look out circular was issued against both the accused by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.

However, during this exercise, it was found that the two had already left Delhi for Phuket in the early hours of December 7, that is, immediately after the incident which had taken place around midnight.

"Goa police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest," he said.