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Goa nightclub owners arrested at Delhi airport after extradition from Thailand

The brothers fled to Phuket after a organising a fire show at their club which led to 25 deaths and many injuries

Published: Tue 16 Dec 2025, 5:30 PM

The Goa Police has formally arrested the Luthra brothers — Gaurav and Saurabh — at immigration control at the New Delhi International airport on Tuesday after they were deported from Thailand.

The brothers are the owners of the Goa nightclub 'Birch by Romeo Lane' where 25 people were killed in a fire on December 6. After fleeing to Phuket on the morning after the fire, the brothers were detained and then deported this morning to India.

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The accused duo will be produced before the Patiala House court in the national capital, following which the Goa police will take them to Goa.

The siblings were detained by Thai police from a resort in Phuket after India moved to suspend their passports and requested the Thai authorities to deport them. An Indian law enforcement team coordinated formalities for the brothers' return. On Tuesday morning, the brothers were formally deported to India.

An extradition treaty between India and Thailand has been in force since 2015. Thai officials stressed that due process was followed as part of the cooperation between the two countries, leading to the prompt and lawful handover of the brothers.

The Goa Police earlier filed a criminal case (dated December 7) at the Police Station Arpora Anjuna, North Goa. 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. They also knew that the restaurant does not have emergency exit doors on the ground or deck floors.

The fire show resulted in a blaze which killed 25 people, including tourists and staff, and led to many others being seriously injured.