How India used the Passport Act to trap Luthra brothers after the Goa nightclub fire

Dubai: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra — the restaurateur brothers who ran the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a devastating fire — thought they had slipped out of India before the fallout could reach them.

While firefighters were still battling the inferno at Arpora’s Birch by Romeo Lane, the brothers quietly boarded an early-morning IndiGo flight to Phuket, leaving behind a trail of questions and a raging political storm.

There was no police case registered against them at the time they flew out. Yet within days after December 6 inferno, the escape that seemed smooth had turned into a trap — one set not at airports or borders, but through India’s passport law.

Facing criticism over how the owners managed to flee, the Centre moved swiftly and strategically. Officials invoked Section 10A of the Passport Act, a seldom-used but powerful provision that allows the government to suspend passports to prevent further travel.

Once the Luthras’ passports were suspended, their legal status in Thailand collapsed instantly.

Fireworks banned indoors: No fireworks allowed inside nightclubs, hotels, shacks or tourist venues.

Licences to be cancelled: Tourist establishments found without valid fire-safety compliance will lose their operating licences.

Liquor sales cut off at 11pm: Statewide restriction to curb late-night violations and overcrowding.

Surprise inspections ordered: Nightclubs, beach shacks and high-footfall venues to face unannounced checks on safety and licensing.

Full review of certifications: Government to re-examine building permits, fire audits and safety certificates across tourism hotspots.

Tourist advisories updated: Visitors warned to avoid swimming in danger zones and high-risk beaches flagged by lifeguard agencies.

Arrests and crackdown: Six people arrested as authorities intensify action against illegal modifications and negligence.

Government sources told NDTV that the move was deliberate: As soon as the suspension kicked in, the Luthras’ stay in Thailand became illegal — giving Indian authorities the leverage they needed.

At the same time, the Central Bureau of Investigation issued a Blue Corner notice, alerting international agencies and tightening the net around the brothers, who own the Romeo Lane chain with outlets in 22 cities and four countries.

The passport suspension and the Blue Corner notice became a coordinated pincer move. With no valid travel document and a formal alert on record, Thai authorities detained the Luthras almost immediately.

Sources said Thai officials cooperated “swiftly and decisively,” detaining the duo and holding them until an Indian team could fly in. The officers are now in Thailand and are expected to bring the brothers back within 24 hours to face trial in Goa.

Two photos circulated late Wednesday night show the Luthras with their hands tied, standing beside Thai police officers and holding their suspended passports — a dramatic reversal of fortune for men who believed they had outrun the law.

The brothers face a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligence. Indian authorities will now press for their deportation to bring them to trial in Goa. According to sources, a team of Indian officials have flown to Thailand and will bring back the Luthras within 24 hours.

The tragedy that triggered the manhunt unfolded during a musical night at the packed basement nightclub. Videos from shortly before the blaze show performers dancing amid electric firecrackers — suspected to be the ignition point.

Four staff members have been arrested. The Luthras, meanwhile, have approached a Delhi court seeking transit anticipatory bail, arguing: they are licensees, not owners of the building; they were not present at the nightclub during the incident and they travelled to Thailand for a “business meeting,” not to evade the law.

But with their passports suspended, a Blue Corner notice in force, and Thai authorities holding them, the legal battle will now shift to India.