A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, which was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai at 3 am on Tuesday.
Visuals taken at the Mumbai airport showed passengers leaving the premises after completing the formalities.
How many passengers made it back to India?
Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers, news agency AP reported.
Meanwhile, two others were held and produced before a judge in France. They were later released and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.
Why was the plane grounded in France?
Operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, the flight was bound for Nicaragua and had landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened. They had got an anonymous tip that the plane could be carrying human trafficking victims. Over the next three days, the plane along with its passengers remained in France, as authorities initiated a judicial inquiry to probe the intent of the journey.
According to reports, France’s national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation to examine suspected cases of human trafficking. The airline on its part has denied any role in possible human trafficking.
Marne region’s officials have said that the reception hall at the Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area and individual beds were provided to the passengers.
What have Indian authorities said?
“Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too,” the Indian Embassy in France wrote in a post on X.
Why Nicaragua?
According to a PTI report, as many as 96,917 Indians have attempted to enter the US illegally in 2023, with Nicaragua being a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.
Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko, however, has said some passengers didn’t want to go back to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua, AP reported.
