The 5-Day Chase From Goa to Phuket: How Luthra Brothers, Who Fled To Thailand As Their Goa Nightclub Burned, Were Tracked & Nabbed

New Delhi/Goa/Phuket: What began as a tragic nightclub inferno in Goa quickly turned into an international chase across borders. Here’s how authorities tracked down Luthra brothers, Saurabh and Gaurav, and how the Royal Thai Police finally detained them.

The Fire & The Escape (December 6-7)

• 11.39 PM (Dec 6): Goa Fire Service receives the first alert about the blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane.
• 12.00 AM (Dec 7): Goa Police and Fire Brigade arrive at the spot as the scale of the tragedy becomes clear.
• 1.17 AM: Even as rescue operations continue in Goa, the Luthra brothers book a flight to Phuket through MakemyTrip.

Departure From India (December 7)

• 5.25 AM: The brothers board IndiGo flight 6E 1073 from Delhi’s IGI Airport, Terminal 3.
• 11.10 AM (IST): The flight lands at Phuket International Airport.
• Later that day, they check into Hotel Indigo, Patong Beach, Phuket, staying together in Room 345.

Goa Police Begin The Hunt (December 7-9)

• Goa Police issue a Look Out Circular (LOC) and later an arrest warrant.
• A police team reaches Delhi on December 7, but finds the brothers’ home locked. Notices are served to their mother and sister.
• Immigration records confirm the duo flew to Phuket.
• December 9: Goa Police contact Interpol, seeking a Blue Corner Notice.
• Around the same time, Goa Police request suspension of the brothers’ passports.

Pressure Mounts (December 10)

• The Ministry of External Affairs suspends the Luthra brothers’ passports.
• In Delhi, the duo’s legal team files a four-week anticipatory bail application in Rohini Court, claiming they wanted to return and join the probe.

Tracked & Detained In Thailand (December 11)

• The Royal Thai Police trace the brothers to a resort in Kathu, Phuket, after receiving intel from Indian agencies.
• The Luthra brothers are taken into custody and moved to an immigration detention centre for further processing.

This marks the end of a frantic 5-day manhunt that spanned two countries and the beginning of the process to bring the Luthra brothers back to India to face the investigation into one of Goa’s deadliest nightclub fires.

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