Delhi brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who left India soon after a massive fire at their Goa nightclub killed 25 people, have been detained in Thailand. Photos show them with their hands tied, holding their passports, while standing beside Thai police officers.

The Luthras run the popular Romeo Lane restaurant chain, which has outlets across 22 cities and four countries. They flew to Phuket just hours after the fire tore through Birch by Romeo Lane in North Goa’s Arpora village. Police have booked them for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligence. Indian officials will now push for their deportation so they can face trial in Goa.

Late on Saturday night, the nightclub was hosting a musical show with nearly 100 people, many of them tourists. Videos from before the fire show performers dancing to Bollywood songs. According to investigators, electric firecrackers used during the show likely triggered the fire.

The blaze spread quickly because the club had highly flammable décor and poor safety measures.

  • No working fire extinguishers

  • No safety alarms

  • A very narrow access road

Fire engines could not reach the club and had to stop 400 metres away, which slowed down rescue efforts. By the time the flames were put out, 25 people had died, including 5 tourists and 20 staff members. Many victims were found in the basement and died from toxic smoke inhalation.

The tragedy shocked Goa during the holiday season. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant promised strict action. Four staff members were arrested soon after the incident.

Police teams searched for the Luthra brothers in Delhi. During raids, investigators found they had booked their flight tickets soon after the fire began and had left India within hours. Their business partner Ajay Gupta has been arrested in Delhi.

The brothers have now moved a Delhi court asking for anticipatory bail. In their plea, they claim they are only “licensees” of the club and not the owners of the building. They have asked for four weeks of transit anticipatory bail, saying they should not be arrested immediately if they return to India.

They also argue that they travelled to Thailand for a business meeting, not to escape, and that they were not present at the nightclub when the fire broke out.