A court in Goa on Friday ordered the extension of police custody for Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub. The tragic fire at their establishment on December 6 claimed 25 lives in North Goa's Arpora area. The brothers will remain in police custody until December 29.
Legal Proceedings and Cooperation
Advocate Parag Rao, representing the Luthra brothers, addressed the media after the court hearing. He confirmed that the police had submitted a fresh request to extend the remand period. "We have not seriously opposed it as my client wants to cooperate with the investigation," Rao stated. He emphasized that his clients were not present in Goa at the time of the incident and are now fully assisting the authorities.
Rao further pointed out that the nightclub's general manager and other managerial staff have already been in custody for a significant period. "They [Luthras] have been there at least since 16th. This is an incident, which is site specific, when they were not even in Goa," he added, underscoring their willingness to participate in the probe.
The Flight and Arrest Timeline
Investigations have revealed a hurried escape attempt by the accused. The Luthra brothers booked flight tickets to Phuket, Thailand, at 1:17 am on December 7—merely 90 minutes after the blaze broke out around midnight. They boarded a flight from Delhi at 5:30 am the same day.
After a ten-day period, the duo was brought back to Goa on December 17. Their return followed deportation from Thailand and subsequent arrest by the Goa Police upon their landing at the Delhi airport on December 16.
The police have charged the Luthra brothers, along with their partners, the club manager, an event organizer, and other managing staff, under sections related to culpable homicide. The prosecution sought the custody extension, informing the court that certain documents crucial to the investigation are still to be recovered from the accused.
Bail Grants and a Second FIR
In related developments, the Sessions Court in Goa granted conditional bail to Bharat Singh Kohli, another accused responsible for the nightclub's daily operations. His lawyer, Advocate Vaibhav Amonkar, informed the media, "The bail application has been allowed. He has to report to the investigating officer on the first Monday of every month and deposit his passport."
Simultaneously, the Luthra brothers have sought anticipatory bail in connection with a separate FIR filed by the Mapusa police. This second case alleges that the brothers and a partner forged a Health Officer's No Objection Certificate (NOC) to obtain an excise licence. The court has granted them interim protection in this matter until December 30.
In a widening of the probe, the police last week initiated steps to issue a Blue Corner Notice against the property owner, Surinder Kumar Khosla. Authorities identified Khosla, a UK national, as the owner of the land on which the "unauthorised structure" housing the Birch nightclub was operating.
