Indian citizens detained in France after a Nicaragua-bound flight carrying 303 people, mostly Indians, was detained by French authorities over suspected human trafficking are safe and in judicial custody, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told News18. The plane that took off from the United Arab Emirates was grounded during “a technical halt” at an airport near Paris on Thursday.
News18 was the first to report that the flight had been held over amid suspicion of human trafficking to the United States via Nicaragua. Majority of those detained are from Gujarat and Punjab, sources said, adding that a detailed report has been sent to the Indian government.
Official said that since the prosecutor’s office will be closed for the weekend and for Christmas on Monday, next step of the legal process will be initiated next week. Sources told News18 that India will push for the deportation of those detained.
“Poor villagers from Punjab and Gujarat wanted to enter the US through Nicaragua,” a source had earlier told News18. They were reportedly tutored to present themselves as tourists.
Since the US cracked down on illegal immigration through the Mexican border, Nicaragua has emerged as the preferred access point.
“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 mission had said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The embassy team has reached & obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring the wellbeing of passengers,” it said.
According to a Le Monde newspaper report, the national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation. Special investigators are questioning all those aboard and two people are in custody pending further examination, the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The prefecture in the northeastern department of Marne said the A340, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, “remained grounded on the tarmac at Vatry airport following its landing” on Thursday. The Vatry airport, located 150km east of Paris, serves mostly budget airlines.
The newspaper report says the prefecture said the plane had been due to refuel and was carrying 303 Indian nationals who had probably been working in the UAE. After landing in France, the passengers were first kept on the aircraft, but then let out and given individual beds in the terminal building. The entire airport was cordoned off by police.
The prosecutor’s office said an anonymous tip signalled that the flight was carrying people who could be victims of human trafficking. Passengers were eventually transferred into the main hall of the small Vatry airport, where cots were set up for them to stay overnight on Thursday, the administration for the Marne region told the newspaper.
Investigators from a specialised French organised crime unit, border police and aviation gendarmes are working on the case.
The aircraft is owned by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines. A lawyer for the firm, Liliana Bakayoko, denied any involvement in the alleged trafficking. She told French news channel BFMTV that the firm was ready to cooperate with the French authorities and hoped the plane could be on its way in the next couple of days.
According to the lawyer, the airline verified “the conformity of the documents presented by the client, who must demonstrate that these people have the right to go to Nicaragua, and have valid passports”.
“The company cannot check the criminal records of the people transported… 303 people is not a number that raises alarm. They are not locked in a truck without ventilation and food…,” said Bakayoko.
French border police can initially hold a foreign national for up to four days if they land in France and are prevented from travelling on to their intended destination.
French law allows for that period to be extended to eight days if a judge approves it, then another eight days in exceptional circumstances, up to a maximum of 26 days. Human trafficking carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in France.
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