Goa: In a significant development in the Goa nightclub fire investigation, the passports of prime accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra have been suspended, officials said.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Central government or any appointed officer has the authority to suspend passports in accordance with Section 10A of the Passports Act 1967 (the relevant provision is included in the Annexure).
Individuals whose passports have been suspended are not permitted to travel out of the country using that passport.
Passports are frequently put on hold in criminal matters, and restoring them necessitates completing legal requirements or stipulations. The following action, as per the sources, will involve the cancellation of passports.
The action prevents the Luthra brothers, currently in Thailand, from travelling further from Phuket and, officials believe, enhances India’s prospects of securing their deportation through diplomatic channels with the support of INTERPOL.
According to investigators, the Luthra brothers left for Thailand almost immediately after the blaze that killed 25 people last week.
Details that surfaced on Wednesday show that they booked tickets to Phuket at a time when emergency teams were battling the fire at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ and attempting to rescue those trapped inside.
As per officials, the brothers logged into the MakeMyTrip (MMT) platform at 1.17 a.m. on December 7 while firefighting and evacuation efforts were still underway at the nightclub. Immigration records indicate that they boarded an IndiGo flight 6E 1073 from Delhi at 5.30 a.m. the same morning.
Even as the investigation tightened its focus on the timing of their departure, the Luthra brothers moved Delhi’s Rohini Court on Wednesday with an anticipatory bail plea, asserting that their foreign travel was not an attempt to evade authorities.
Their counsel told the court that Saurabh had flown to Thailand on December 6 “for professional engagements and potential restaurant sites” and argued that the brothers were seeking “legal protection to return to India without immediate arrest”.
The court declined to grant interim protection and listed the matter for hearing on Thursday.
The Goa Police opposed the plea, maintaining that the brothers fled within hours of the tragedy and should not be allowed to secure relief while outside the country.
In a parallel development, the Goa Police produced another accused, Ajay Gupta, before a magistrate in Delhi on Wednesday. After completing formal medical procedures, he will be taken to Goa for further questioning.
Investigators say additional arrests are likely as they reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding the fire and examine the alleged attempt by the prime suspects to escape.
The massive fire — which tore through the club located near the Arpora River backwaters — claimed 25 lives, including four tourists and 14 staff members.
According to police officials, the club had a narrow entry and exit, which became one of the major reasons why many victims were unable to escape the inferno in time.
The blaze erupted around midnight on Sunday at the club situated in the bustling Baga area, which draws large crowds owing to its proximity to one of Goa’s most frequented beaches.
(IANS)
