After a nightclub fire in Goa killed 25 people, the tragedy created chaos in the country. The two brothers who co-owned the place remain the centre of attention as they flew to Thailand after the incident.
The two left the country on 7th December, after the incident, and they were successfully deported to the country on Tuesday. Ajay Gupta, the third partner in the nightclub, was arrested in Delhi last week. The two men who were oblivious to the country until a few weeks ago were said to have a humble beginning, which later grew into a big business.
People describe them as rooted in beginnings, where a paralysed father ran a successful business, and a mother who was loved by her community. Both sons worked together and represented a new generation of restaurants and hotels with the drive to expand the business.
Talking to the BBC, a Delhi-based musician said that they were “Delhi boys in the broadest sense”. With their risk-taking, crafty skills, they built an empire of hotel chains that ran successfully. But soon after the ill-fated incident, they left the country for Phuket, raising the alarm, as authorities suspected foul play, in the way they tried to escape police investigations.
An investigation and an Interpol alert were raised soon, and the entrepreneurs from Delhi turned into wanted fugitives. Charges against the two have been registered, and they will be investigated for homicide, among other things. Both the brothers, however, allege that there was no foul play, and they were not trying to escape scrutiny.
The business of Sourav and Gourav Luthra expanded in 2016 from Hudson Lane in Delhi. But they received a breakthrough after setting up Romeo Lane and upscaling it. The place was unique for its handcrafted cocktails, loud Bollywood music, and Sleek finishing. The overnight success led to the expansion of its branches in other cities, including Meerut, Lucknow, Noida, and Dehradun. They also opened an international franchise in Dubai last year.
It was not the first time that the properties linked to Sourav and Gourav Luthra came to the negative limelight. In 2024, their property was investigated for playing loud music. In 2023, a complaint listed that they had built their property in an ecologically sensitive region.
This time, the scale of the event and the consequent actions of the businessman have led to serious investigations.
