India-Thai Extradition: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra Deportation Process Underway After Massive Goa Nightclub Blaze

All legal and diplomatic formalities have been completed for the deportation of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives. The brothers are scheduled to board a flight from Bangkok early Tuesday and are expected to land in Delhi later in the day, officials confirmed. Upon arrival at the Delhi airport, the Luthras will be taken into custody by the Goa Police and produced before a local court for transit remand. They will then be escorted to Goa, where they are expected to reach late Tuesday night. Officials said the entire transfer will be carried out strictly in accordance with legal procedures. Sources toldNews18that a Goa Police team will leave for Delhi late Monday night to formally receive custody of the accused from central agencies. Authorities clarified that no Goa Police personnel travelled to Thailand and that the handover will take place only on Indian soil. The brothers are likely to be taken directly to the Anjuna Police Station upon arrival in Goa for further questioning. They are expected to be produced before the Mapusa court on December 17. Meanwhile, the legal team representing the nightclub owners had travelled to Thailand to assist with the deportation process and provide legal support. Sources said the lawyers were allowed to meet the brothers at a detention facility for around 30 minutes, during which they were briefed on the legal course ahead. The developments follow close coordination between Indian and Thai authorities after the Luthras were detained in Phuket. Officials said the Indian Embassy in Bangkok worked with Thai immigration to complete documentation after the Ministry of External Affairs suspended the brothers’ Indian passports, making their stay in Thailand unlawful. A team from the Central Bureau of Investigation had reached Phuket over the weekend to help complete procedural requirements related to the brothers’ return. Emergency certificates, one-way travel documents, were issued by the Indian mission to facilitate their deportation. The Goa government has also constituted a special legal team to pursue the case. Police have registered an offence under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which carries a maximum punishment of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Investigators are compiling evidence related to alleged safety, structural and regulatory violations to prepare a comprehensive charge sheet. Thai authorities confirmed that the Luthra brothers were detained at a resort in Phuket following a request from Indian law enforcement agencies after their passports were suspended. Swipe Left For Next Video Officials on both sides said the process is being carried out under the India–Thailand extradition and mutual cooperation framework in force since 2015.