Investigators said the breakthrough came after Thai authorities received specific inputs on December 9 indicating that the brothers, who were evading arrest after fleeing India, were staying at a hotel in Phuket. Immigration officials placed the hotel under surveillance. The brothers were identified and detained after they stepped out for a meal, allowing officials to verify their identities and travel documents.
The December 6 fire at the Birch nightclub in Vagator claimed 25 lives and left several others injured. Police allege that gross negligence and safety violations at the venue led to the blaze. Following the incident, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra left India within hours, booking tickets to Thailand while rescue operations were still underway. They departed Delhi for Phuket on an early morning flight.
Thai police confirmed that both men are being held at the Phuket Immigration Centre. They face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal negligence under Indian law. Once deported, the brothers will be flown from Bangkok to Delhi and then taken to Goa, where the state police will formally arrest them.
Meanwhile, investigators are examining the Luthra brothers’ wider business network. Corporate records indicate their involvement as directors or partners in at least 42 companies and LLPs, many allegedly operating as shell entities registered at a single address in north-west Delhi. Authorities are probing whether these firms were used for financial irregularities.
The Goa Police, assisted by the CBI and the Ministry of External Affairs, had sought Interpol’s help, leading to the issuance of a Blue Corner Notice. Parallel investigations are also underway in Delhi, where a separate case has been registered.
