A dinner out in Phuket: How a meal exposed Luthra brothers’ location to Thai authorities

Dinner outing exposes fugitive Luthra brothers

A seemingly ordinary dinner break in Thailand became the fateful turn that exposed Gaurav and Saurav Luthra, sealing their arrest and setting in motion their deportation to India over the Goa nightclub blaze that claimed 25 lives. According to sources cited by NDTV, the brothers were staying at a hotel in Phuket when they stepped out on December 9, inadvertently alerting authorities to their presence.

Indian agencies had already shared intelligence with Thai counterparts about the Luthra brothers, who were wanted in India following the blaze at a nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora village on December 6. Acting on these inputs, Thai authorities had placed the hotel under surveillance. When the brothers left the premises, immigration and police officials verified their identities and travel records, sources said.

With their passports already under scrutiny by Indian authorities, the brothers were questioned by Thai officials. Once their identities were confirmed, they were detained from their hotel room and taken to immigration custody for further legal procedures. The deportation process was initiated after Thailand received the necessary formal documentation from India, NDTV reported.

The fire in Goa broke out around midnight and killed 25 people, most of them nightclub staff, along with a few tourists. Investigators allege that fireworks used during a performance triggered the blaze.

Gaurav Luthra, 44, and Saurav Luthra, 40, were detained in Thailand on Thursday, even as a Delhi court rejected their transit anticipatory bail pleas, citing the seriousness of the charges and their conduct. The brothers were subsequently moved to Bangkok on Friday and lodged at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre, where they will remain until deportation formalities are completed.

An Indian law enforcement team is expected to take custody of the accused soon. Since their passports have been cancelled, the Indian embassy will issue emergency travel certificates to facilitate their return, marking the case as a serious instance of overstay.

Meanwhile, a Goa court has remanded Ajay Gupta, alleged to be a silent partner and investor in the nightclub, to police custody. While the Luthra brothers reportedly fled to Thailand within hours of the fire, Gupta was traced to a Delhi hospital.

Goa authorities have also intensified action against illegal nightclub operations, sealing establishments and banning fireworks and pyrotechnic devices inside tourist venues. Upon their return, the Luthra brothers will face charges including injury causing death, manslaughter and murder for allegedly organising a fire show “without taking proper care and caution and without providing fire safety equipment, other safety gadgets.”