In connection with an incident in which a plane carrying 303 Indian passengers was grounded in France due to suspicions of human trafficking, two people have been placed under arrest. The jet was headed for Nicaragua.
According to the prosecutor’s office, officials received a tip-off that the flight, coming from the UAE, was carrying people who could be victims of human trafficking.
The national anti-organized crime unit JUNALCO has assumed control of the probe, according to the prosecutors. The Romanian airline Legend Airlines’ A340 “remained grounded on the tarmac at Vatry airport following its landing,” according to the prefecture in the northeastern department of Marne.
Speaking to AFP, Paris public prosecutor’s office said, the aircraft carrying passengers “likely to be victims of human trafficking” was detained after they received a tip-off.
According to the allegations, the Indian passengers may have planned their trip to get to Central America, from where they could try to enter the United States or Canada without authorization.
“French authorities informed us of a plane w/ 303 people, mostly Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport,” the Indian Embassy in France stated in response to the incident. The embassy crew arrived and was given entrance to the consulate. While we look into the matter, we are also making sure that the passengers are safe.”
The plane was detained soon after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited French President Emanuel Macron as a guest on India’s Republic Day.
