Plane grounded in France over human trafficking lands in Mumbai
Representational image
Mumbai, Dec 26: A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking landed in Mumbai in the wee hours of Tuesday, an official said.
The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 a.m., the official said. It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 p.m. local time.
According to French authorities, the plane had 276 passengers on board when it took off for Mumbai, as 25 people, including two minors, had expressed the wish to apply for asylum and were still on French soil. Two others were held and produced before a judge; those who were brought before a judge were released and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.
When the flight landed at Vatry airport, there were 11 unaccompanied minors among the 303 Indian passengers on board, a local official said.
Makeshift beds were arranged for the stranded passengers, who were given access to toilets and showers and provided meals and hot drinks in the hall of Vatry airport, the official said.
The flight, which was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines and bound for Nicaragua, had landed at Vatry on December 21 for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened.
French authorities launched a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking.
Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. As many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the U.S. illegally in the financial year 2023, signalling a 51.61% jump from the previous year, according to data made available by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
At least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to enter the U.S. via the Mexican land border, CBP data shows. Flights to Nicaragua or third countries where obtaining travel documents is easy have come to be known as 'dunki' flights.
