Authorities have arrested Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra — co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub — in Phuket, Thailand, five days after a catastrophic fire at the club killed 25 people.
Investigators say the brothers booked a flight to Thailand from Delhi at 1:17 am on December 7, just hours after the fire broke out, leading the police to issue a lookout notice and request a Blue Corner Notice through Interpol in an attempt to get the brothers extradited.
According to the authorities, the nightclub did not have the basic requirements on fire-safety measures, such as extinguishers, alarms, suppression systems, or proper emergency exits. The owners and management of the nightclub, despite such glaring lapses, conducted a fire act.
A separate property related to the brothers — an illegally constructed beach shack with the same brand — has already been destroyed, and a wider crackdown on clubs across the state has been launched.
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