The Gujarat Police has interrogated approximately 20 passengers from Gujarat who were on board the Nicaragua-bound flight that was turned back mid-route from France. This action aims to uncover a suspected illegal immigration network operating from the state. The Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking and subsequently landed in Mumbai on December 26.
According to a senior state Crime Investigation Department (CID) official, at least 60 passengers from Gujarat, who had already returned to their respective native places, were questioned. The passengers were probed to determine whether they had plans to illegally enter the United States after reaching Latin America, as there were rumors about such intentions.
“They were sent back from France. There was a rumor they had planned to enter the US illegally after landing in Nicaragua. In their statements, they told us they were going there as tourists. We are going into the details to find out who were the agents behind their trip,” stated SP Rajkumar, additional director-general of police, CID – Crime and Railways.
The police emphasized the need to verify documents, including checking for genuine or forged documents used for travel to Central America. The investigation also includes scrutinizing financial transactions. The CID has formed four teams to probe the issue and take action against agents promising assistance to victims for illegal entry into the US and other countries.
The Airbus A340, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, was detained at Vatry airport in France following an anonymous tip-off about potential human trafficking victims. Passengers had paid significant amounts to agents for assistance in reaching the southern US border from South America. The police are seeking information on how passengers came in contact with agents, their plans after reaching Nicaragua, and any illegal racket involvement.
Out of the 276 passengers returned to India, 66 were from Gujarat, and ongoing interrogations are part of the broader investigation into the suspected human trafficking operation. French authorities had briefly detained two individuals for questioning over suspected human trafficking, but they were later released when it was determined that passengers had boarded the plane voluntarily. Some passengers sought asylum in France, while close to 100,000 illegal Indian migrants attempted to enter the US this year, as per US Customs and Border Protection data.
