Evening news wrap: Goa club owners brought to India; Bengal sports minister resigns over Messi mess and more

The Luthra brothers, owners of the Goa nightclub where a fire last week killed 25 people, were brought to Delhi from Bangkok after fleeing the country within hours of the mishap on December 6. Meanwhile, West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas resigned, taking responsibility for the chaos during a Lionel Messi event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on December 13. In sports, Australia all-rounder Cameron Green was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa apologised for the continuing air pollution crisis in the national capital. Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for blowing up a Russian submarine in the Black Sea.Here are the top 5 stories of the day:

'Birch by Romeo Lane' club owner Luthra brothers arrested by Goa Police; duo to be taken to court for transit remand order

Goa nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, wanted in connection with the December 6 fire that claimed 25 lives, were brought back to India from Bangkok on an emergency certificate on Tuesday. The brothers boarded an IndiGo flight and arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 2.10 pm. The were arrested by the Goa Police immediately upon arrival. Earlier, they were seen wearing masks and surrounded by immigration and security officials at Bangkok airport. Read full story

Messi event fiasco: Aroop Biswas quits sports ministry; CM Mamata Banerjee to take charge

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to take charge of the state’s sports ministry after her cabinet colleague Aroop Biswas resigned in the wake of allegations of "mismanagement" during football star Lionel Messi’s event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh shared what he described as a copy of a resignation letter written by Biswas to Banerjee, in which the minister sought to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister. Read full story

MI, RR, CSK, KKR: As it happened - How Cameron Green became a 'Knight' after intense bidding war in IPL auction

As was expected, an intense bidding war took place in the IPL auction on Tuesday between three teams to take Australian all-rounder Cameron Green into their squad. Green had listed himself as a batter because of a manager's stuff-up. He had confirmed that he'll be available to bowl during the season. With the base price of Rs 2 crore, and registered as a batter, the ex-MI and RCB star came up for bidding in the first round. Read full story

'It is impossible ...': Delhi minister apologises for toxic air; says working to fix it

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said it was unrealistic to expect any elected government to bring down air pollution within a short period, as Delhi-NCR continued to struggle with severe smog conditions, with air quality ranging from poor to severe, raising serious health concerns for residents. “It is impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in 9-10 months. I apologise for the pollution in Delhi. We are doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day. This disease of pollution is given to us by the Aam Aadmi Party, and we are working to fix it,” Sirsa said. Read full story

Russian submarine blows up as Ukraine claims underwater drone strike; first such attack

Ukraine's security service announced on Monday that its underwater drones successfully struck a Russian submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, marking the first such attack in the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine has intensified its naval attacks in recent weeks targeting Russia-linked vessels in the Black Sea, while Russian forces continue to strike the Ukrainian port of Odesa. Read full story