A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, primarily Indians, that had been grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking concerns has finally arrived in Mumbai. The Nicaragua-bound flight, operated by a Romanian company, was detained at Vatry airport near France. The plane eventually departed from Vatry airport around 2:30 pm local time and landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am on Tuesday. The extended grounding raised questions about the nature of the suspicions and the circumstances leading to the delay.
READ | Plane with 303 Indians grounded over ‘human trafficking’ freed to leave France, may head to Mumbai today
The charter flight with 303 passengers originating from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was grounded at Vatry airport, 150 km east of Paris, on Thursday due to suspected human trafficking. According to French authorities, 25 individuals, including two minors, expressed a desire to apply for asylum and remained on French soil. Two others, who were presented before a judge, were released and put under assisted witness status, as reported by a French news channel.
On Sunday, Vatry airport was transformed into a makeshift courtroom, where four French judges interrogated the detained passengers as part of an investigation initiated by the Paris prosecutor’s office into suspicions of human trafficking.
Reports from French media indicated that among the passengers, some spoke Hindi while others spoke Tamil.
READ | What airline said after France grounds plane with 300 Indians over suspected ‘trafficking’
Following the authorization for the plane to depart, the French judges decided to cancel the hearings of the passengers on Sunday, citing irregularities in the procedural process.
On Monday, police custody measures for two passengers of the flight were lifted. These individuals had been taken into custody on Friday under suspicion of involvement in a potentially illegal immigration ring. The initial detention, which was extended on Saturday for up to 48 hours, was part of an investigation into aiding the illegal entry and stay of foreigners in the territory. The Public Prosecutor’s Office clarified that this investigation is focused on organized gang activity related to facilitating illegal entry and stay, as well as participation in a criminal association.
