Days after a devastating fire at an upscale nightclub in India’s Goa state killed 25 people, the spotlight remains on the two brothers who co-owned the place.
On Tuesday, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were deported to India from Thailand, where they fled hours after the incident on 7 December.
A third partner in the nightclub, Ajay Gupta, was detained in Delhi last week.
Until a few weeks ago, the brothers who grew up in Delhi, were not known beyond India’s hospitality and nightlife circuit.
Those who knew them describe a life rooted in ordinary beginnings: a paralysed father who once ran a flourishing business, a religious mother loved by her community, and two sons who represented a new generation of Indian restaurateurs – ambitious, social-media savvy and eager to scale their brand across cities.
“They were Delhi boys in the broadest sense,” a city-based musician who knows the brothers told the BBC on the condition of anonymity, referring to the traits of brashness and risk-taking often associated with the Indian capital’s social and business culture. “Well-networked and ambitious, they used the city and their connections to build visibility.”
But hours after the deadly fire, the brothers boarded a plane to Phuket and left the country, sparking outrage and intense scrutiny. Police launched an investigation and Interpol issued notices against them. Overnight, the budding entrepreneurs had turned into international fugitives.
Once back, the brothers will be investigated on charges of culpable homicide among other allegations. They deny any wrongdoing and say they “never intended to evade” the law, alleging that they were being “erroneously portrayed” as villains in a wider tragedy.
