France grounds flight with 303 Indians over suspected ‘human trafficking’, India says probe on

Following reports that a Nicaragua-bound flight carrying 303 Indian passengers was grounded by the French government, the Indian mission in France said it was investigating the situation while also ensuring the wellbeing of the passengers.

“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,” the Indian embassy said in a post on X.

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

France has grounded a charter flight headed to Nicaragua, and a judicial investigation into the conditions and purposes of the trip has been launched, local officials in the eastern Marne region were quoted as saying by Reuters.

A unit specialising in organised crime is investigating suspicions of human trafficking and arrested two people for questioning, the Paris public prosecution office said, adding that authorities had been tipped off by an anonymous informant.

The flight, carried out by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had departed from Dubai and landed at the small Vatry airport on Thursday afternoon for a technical stopover when police intervened, the Marne prefect’s office said in a statement.

“The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions,” the prefect’s office said.

– With inputs from Reuters

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