NEW DELHI: A Goa court on Monday extended by another five days the police remand of brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the “Birch by Romeo” nightclub where 25 people died in a fire on December 6.The siblings will now remain in police custody until at least December 26. Goa Police arrested them on December 16, shortly after they were brought back from Thailand, where they had fled within hours of the incident.
“New revelations have been made. Police have found that the Luthras forged their trade license and other documents,” advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing the victims’ families, told ANI in the Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court.The court also remanded Ajay Gupta, the third partner of the nightclub, to 14 days of judicial custody.On December 17, the court had granted police an initial five-day custody of the Luthra brothers. The Goa government has initiated criminal proceedings against them over alleged negligence and violations of mandatory safety norms following the fatal fire.According to Goa Police, the club organised the firework event that caused the blaze, without proper fire safety equipment and other essential safety measures. The Luthras went ahead with the fire show despite knowing that the restaurant lacked emergency exit doors on the ground and deck floors, critical for evacuation during an emergency.On December 7, police filed a criminal case against the brothers under sections 105, 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 287, read with section 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
