Goa, India – Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, Goa, were escorted to Goa by police officials on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, for questioning regarding the December 6th nightclub fire that killed 25 people. The brothers' arrival in Goa marks the end of a 10-day international search that began after they fled India shortly after the deadly fire.
The Luthra brothers were arrested at Delhi's IGI Airport after being deported from Thailand. A Delhi court granted the Goa Police a two-day transit remand to facilitate their transfer to Goa. They will be produced before a judicial magistrate in Mapusa, Goa, as the investigation into the incident continues.
Following the fire, the Luthra brothers left India on December 7 and had been staying at the Indigo Hotel in Phuket. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) suspended their passports, which prompted the issuance of emergency travel documents by the Indian embassy in Thailand. Thai authorities detained the Luthra brothers for illegally staying in the country, after which a special team traveled to Phuket to facilitate their deportation.
The fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub occurred around 11:45 p.m. on December 6, when over 150 tourists were attending an event. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire broke out after electric firecrackers struck the wooden ceiling of the club. The blaze rapidly spread through the venue, and it took firefighters two hours to extinguish the flames. The narrow access lane to the nightclub complicated rescue efforts.
The fire resulted in the deaths of 25 people and injuries to approximately 50 others. According to authorities, most fatalities were due to suffocation, with victims trapped on the ground floor of the nightclub. Among the deceased, 20 were staff members from various Indian states and one was a Nepalese citizen; the other five were tourists, including four members of a family from Delhi.
Goa police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the Luthra brothers under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Local courts had previously rejected their anticipatory transit bail. Several associates linked to the nightclub have also been arrested.
Initial investigations by the Goa Police indicate negligence on the part of the club owners in adhering to safety norms and maintaining essential fire-fighting infrastructure. The nightclub reportedly lacked mandatory permissions and fire department No Objection Certificate (NOC). The Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the systemic failures exposed by the Goa nightclub fire and has converted a writ petition into a public interest litigation, asking the State to implement measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
