Thai authorities have begun the process of deporting Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a fire on 6 December, government sources said on Friday.

The Indian embassy in Bangkok is coordinating closely with officials in Thailand to expedite their return.

The brothers were detained in Phuket following the embassy’s intervention, and Thai officials are proceeding according to local laws, including steps to send them back to India.

The Luthras left for Phuket shortly after the incident. A Delhi court on Wednesday declined to grant them interim protection from arrest.

Their partner has already been taken into custody. Goa Police have arrested five managers and staff members in connection with the fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, around 25 kilometres from Panaji, and have recorded statements of at least 50 individuals so far, an official said.

A local resident, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, who claims to be the original owner of the land on which the nightclub stood, alleged that part of his property was converted from saltpan to settlement zone without his knowledge.

He said he had signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but it was withdrawn within six months as he did not receive payment.

He has alleged earlier that Khosla went on to set up a nightclub on the land, later taken over by the Luthra brothers.

Amonkar said that while his case has been pending in court for 21 years, he recently discovered that “the government quietly changed the zoning of my land without informing me” and claimed that no notice was served to him regarding the change.

He questioned how saltpan land could be converted into a settlement zone.

A senior official of the Goa Town and Country Planning department said an inquiry into the matter is underway and it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, speaking at a public meeting in Goa during campaigning for local body elections, attacked the BJP government over alleged corruption in the coastal state.

“This is perhaps the most corrupt government, and the least the chief minister could do is to apologise to the people of Goa for Arpora incident and ensure safety in all the establishments,” he said.

He further alleged that the nightclub lacked several requisite permissions but continued to operate because it paid “hafta” or regular bribes to government officials.

The state BJP has sought clarification from two of its own leaders after they alleged corruption in connection with the fire tragedy.

MLA Michael Lobo and former tourism minister Dilip Parulekar had claimed that large scale corruption in the beach belt had led to illegalities in the tourism sector.

“I have heard the statement by both the leaders. I have sought clarification from them for making such statements,” BJP Goa president Damodar Naik told reporters in Panaji on Friday.