Can Goa Nightclub Owners Be Extradited From Phuket? What India-Thailand Treaty Says

The owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a devastating fire, fled to Phuket just hours after the tragedy, Goa Police said on Monday. A massive manhunt was launched

after an FIR was registered, and during the probe, investigators found through immigration records that brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra had boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket at 5:30 AM on Sunday, December 7, barely a few hours after the blaze broke out around midnight.A senior official said the Luthra brothers' "swift exit” indicates a clear intent to evade the investigation.Following the discovery, the Goa Police have approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking an Interpol Blue Notice to help trace the duo's whereabouts.Also Read: Goa Nightclub Fire: 'Mehbooba Mehbooba' Belly Dancer Now Under Scanner, Was In India Without Work Visa

Can Thailand arrest and extradite Luthra brothers to India?

India and Thailand signed an extradition treaty in 2013, which came into effect on June 29, 2015. According to the treaty, the central authority for deciding extradition in India is the Ministry of External Affairs and for Thailand, it is the Attorney General. Each Contracting State shall inform the other Contracting State of any change of the Central Authority through diplomatic channels, according the treaty.India and Thailand also have an MoU that facilitates the exchange of information related to money laundering and terrorist financing.The Blue Notice that has been issued by the Interpol is issued to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation. The CBI is in touch with Interpol regarding the request of the Goa Police to track the fugitives. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that a team would be sent to Thailand to bring back the accused.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-e2cO4wscE

Also Read: Goa Cops Arrest Co-Owner Of Nightclub After Fire Tragedy, Luthra Brothers Still On The Run

What led to Goa nightclub tragedy?

A massive fire at the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in North Goa's Arpora, some 25 kilometres away from Panaji, on late Saturday night claimed 25 lives.According to an eyewitness, the fire started on the dance floor, on which at least 100 people were present. The people, in an attempt to escape, ran downstairs to its kitchen located on the ground floor, where they got trapped along with the staff, Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad said. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor and in the kitchen, according to a fire brigade official.