France grounds plane carrying 303 Indians over 'human trafficking' suspicions
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France grounded a Nicaragua-bound charter flight carrying as many as 303 Indian passengers on Friday over suspected human trafficking. The plane had taken off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and stopped at eastern France's Vatry airport for a technical stopover. It was due for refueling. According to the Paris public prosecutor's office, a unit specializing in organized crime was probing suspicions of human trafficking and apprehended two individuals for questioning.
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About suspected 'human trafficking' case
The Marne prefect's office said that the flight, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had departed from Dubai and landed at the Vatry airport on Thursday afternoon (local time) for a technical stopover. "The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions," it added. However, officials are yet to provide an update on when these passengers will be allowed to fly out.
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French anti-organized crime unit takes over probe
The Paris public prosecutor's office said authorities received an anonymous tipoff about some passengers on the flight being "victims of human trafficking." French authorities also revealed that the national anti-organized crime unit JUNALCO had taken over the investigation into the issue. Reports suggested that the Indian passengers onboard the charter flight may have planned the travel to reach Central America from where they could try to enter the United States (US) or Canada illegally.
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Border police can hold passengers for up to 26 days
The French border police can reportedly hold a foreign national suspected of committing such crimes for up to four days if they land in the country and stop them from traveling to their intended destination. The country's laws also allow an extension of this term to eight days if a judge authorizes it, another eight days in exceptional circumstances, and up to a maximum of 26 days.
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Romanian airline's response after France grounds plane with 303 passengers
Legend Airlines's lawyer, Liliana Bakayoko, stated that the company believes it has not committed any offense and added that it "is at the disposal of the French authorities." Speaking to AFP, she revealed that a customer, who chartered the company's flight, was responsible for checking the identity documents of every passenger. Bakayoko also added that the customer, whom she didn't identify, shared the passenger details with the airline 48 hours prior to takeoff.
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India's response to France grounding flight carrying 303 Indians
Following these developments, the Indian Embassy in France on Friday said that it was probing the matter and assured the wellbeing of the passengers. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Indian mission said, "Embassy team has reached and obtained consular access." "We are investigating the situation, also ensuring wellbeing of passengers," it added. However, the embassy has not commented on the human trafficking allegations so far.
Twitter Post
Check out Indian mission's full statement here
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. Embassy team has reached & obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring wellbeing of passengers.
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) December 22, 2023