Luthra brothers to be brought back at the earliest: Goa CM

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub where fire claimed 25 lives, will be brought back to India from Thailand at the earliest.

The team of Goa Police and CBI would bring the Luthra brothers, prime accused in the case, back to India “as soon as possible”, he said.

A local panchayat official will also be arrested in the fire case as he was not cooperating with the probe, Sawant told reporters here.

The chief minister thanked the Union home ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs for expediting the process to track down the accused in Thailand.

While Goa Police issued a Look Out Circular for them, an Interpol Blue Corner notice was also issued and a request made to cancel their passports with the Regional Passport Office, Sawant said, adding all necessary efforts are being made to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.

Three government officials were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty after the fire, the CM said, adding that two of them — Shamila Monteiro and Siddhi Halarnkar –were cooperating.

The third officer, panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar, was however not cooperating with the probe, and he would be arrested, said Sawant.

Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra have been detained by the authorities in Thailand, officials said earlier in the morning.

The duo fled to Phuket within hours after the December 6 tragedy at their club in North Goa. An Interpol Blue Corner notice was issued on December 9 following a request from the Goa police.

The brothers were accused of injury causing death, manslaughter and murder by organising a fire show “without taking proper care and caution and without providing fire safety equipment, other safety gadgets.”