A plane carrying 303 Indian passengers from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua has been detained in France since Thursday on suspicion of human trafficking, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Friday, which opened an investigation.
The detention of the device took place following “an anonymous complaint” according to which the plane was “carrying Indian passengers (…) likely to be victims of human trafficking,” the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said, quoted by the French news agency AFP. .
According to a source close to the case, who said the plane stopped in France to refuel, the Indian passengers might want to go to Central America and then try to illegally enter the United States or Canada.
An investigation is underway “to determine whether there is evidence that confirms the suspicion of human trafficking by an organized group, a crime punishable by a prison sentence of twenty years and a fine of three million euros,” according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Paris. .
The same source indicated that “hearings and investigations are ongoing into the conditions and objectives of passenger transport.”
The civilian government of La Marne, in northeastern France, indicated that the plane, belonging to the Romanian company Legend Airlines, “remained immobilized on the runway of Vatry airport after landing [na quinta-feira] in the afternoon”, after an intervention by the air transport police unit on board was also confirmed.
The municipality also confirmed that the plane was still on the ground on Friday afternoon.
Source: DN
