Plane Carrying Indians Grounded In France Over The Suspected Human Trafficking Lands In Mumbai (image: representational)
The plane carrying 303 Indians which was grounded in France over the suspected human trafficking landed in Mumbai in the odd hours of Tuesday. The aircraft, A340 has been grounded in Vatry airport for four days. The passengers were mostly Indians. According to French officials, the plane had 276 passengers when it took off to Mumbai as 25 persons, including tow minors sought asylum in France and are still on the French soil. The plane took off from the France around 2:30 pm and landed in Mumbai around 4:00 am on Tuesday.
French news channel said two others were held, produced before a judge and was placed assisted witness status. Media report said, among the 303 Indian passengers, 11 unaccompanied minors were included. The flight was grounded on Thursday, when it took a “technical stopover” at the Vtary airport. The police then intervened on the basis of anonymous tipoff about the suspected human trafficking. The passengers were provided with beds, shower, meals, and hot drinks.
On Sunday, the Vatry airport was turned into a makeshift courtroom, where four French judges interrogated the passengers who are said to be detained by the Paris prosecutors for investigating the alleged human trafficking. By approving the departure of the plane, the French judges called off the hearings of the passengers citing irregularities in the procedural process.
Two among the passengers were detained by the Paris police on Friday over the suspicion of their involvement in the potential illegal immigration. The arrest was then extended to 48 hours. On Monday, custody measures on the two detained passengers were lifted on Monday. The Public Prosecutor’s Office said that the investigation is mainly focused on organized gang activity that may be to facilitating illegal entry and stay in the French territory.
According to data produced by the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), around 96,917 Indians attempted to cross the border and enter US illegally in the financial year of 2023. The figure shows 51.61 percent jump from the previous year. Among the 96,917, at least 41,770 Indians attempted to enter into the US border through the Mexican land border, said CBP. Flights to third world counties like Nicaragua, where obtaining travel documents are easy, has gained themselves the name as “dunki flights”.
