French authorities grounded a passenger plane carrying 303 Indian citizens, including 11 non-accompanied minors, at the airport of Vatry, on suspicion of human trafficking, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said.
The passengers of the flight, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, were put up at the airport during the investigation.
The plane was on its way from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nicaragua and had stopped over at Vatry airport, roughly 150 kilometers east of Paris, for supply.
The Indian embassy in Paris said that it was working for a “rapid resolution of the situation”, posting on X that “consular officials are on site.”
What happened after investigation?
The charter plane was stopped by French authorities received an anonymous tip that trafficking victims may be aboard. Under French law, organized human trafficking is punishable with prison terms of up to 20 years and fines of up to $3.3 million (3 million euros).
Prosecutors said 11 passengers were unaccompanied minors who were put under special administrative care.
Two passengers were detained as part of a special French investigation into suspected human trafficking by an organized criminal group. They have been detained “to verify” whether their role “may have been different than the others in this transport, and under what conditions and with what objectives”.
At least 12 of the passengers have requested asylum, AFP reported.
Plane allowed to leave after four days
The plane was authorized to leave the French airport after four days amid the human trafficking investigation.
All of the passengers, including a 21-month-old child, had been stuck in the airport terminal since Thursday.
The Airbus A340 is expected to leave on December 25 after the French Civil Aviation Authority secures final approval for departure. A lawyer for the airline said the plane would take many of the stranded passengers back to India.