GOA: Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, have moved Delhi’s Rohini court seeking anticipatory bail. The hearing is scheduled today.The move comes amid intensifying investigations into the fire that claimed 25 lives last week.
Interpol on Tuesday issued a blue corner notice against the brothers, who are believed to be hiding in Phuket, Thailand.Meanwhile, Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthra brothers, was detained by Goa Police in Delhi on Tuesday. The regional passport office in New Delhi has also issued a notice to the Luthras, asking them to explain within seven days why action should not be taken to impound their passports.A senior Goa police officer said the blue corner notice, which is normally issued within a week, was processed in just two days with the support of central agencies. The notice aims to trace the brothers and prevent them from leaving their current location.India and Thailand signed an extradition treaty in 2013, which came into effect on June 29, 2015. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that a team would be sent to Thailand to bring back the accused.Earlier, Goa Police had visited the Luthras’ Delhi residence and office with an arrest warrant but found them absent. A notice under relevant legal provisions was pasted at their residence, and a lookout circular was issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) after the brothers were found to have boarded an IndiGo flight to Phuket on Sunday morning, just hours after the blaze.Deputy inspector general of police, Goa, Varsha Sharma, said a lookout notice has also been issued against UK national Surinder Kumar Khosla, the owner of the property. Goa Police are coordinating with the CBI and Interpol to ensure the return of the Luthras and are probing their financial transactions in collaboration with central agencies.(With agency inputs)
