Two brothers wanted over a nightclub fire in Goa, India, that killed 25 people have been detained in Thailand, India’s ambassador to Thailand Nagesh Singh told the BBC.
Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra own the Birch By Romeo Lane club, Escape to Phuketshortly after the incident occurred earlier this week.
“They will be sent back to India,” Singh said on Thursday, a day after a Delhi court refused to grant them protection from arrest and the Goa government contacted India’s foreign ministry to revoke their passports.
The brothers have yet to make any public statements, but their lawyers told the court they were the victims of a “witch hunt”.
The incident occurred early on Sunday when a fatal fire broke out at a club in the tourist state’s busy nightlife district.
Investigators believe the fire was caused by fireworks inside the venue.
Most of the victims were staff, while five were tourists.
Investigators said they raided the brothers’ home in Delhi hours after the fire but found they had fled the country. Police then sought help from Interpol to track them.
Saurabh Luthra, whose social media described him as chairman of the company that runs the club, issued a statement on social media on Monday expressing “deep sadness”.
“Management stands firmly with the family of the deceased and the injured,” he wrote, adding that the nightclub’s management would provide “assistance, support and cooperation” to the family.
On Wednesday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said police had so far arrested six people in connection with the incident, adding that “more arrests will be made soon”.
Goa is a former Portuguese colony on the Arabian Sea. Its nightlife, beaches and resorts attract millions of tourists every year.
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