NE Watch Desk
Indian passengers among 276 on board the
charter plane, grounded in France for four days over suspected human
trafficking, finally heaved a sigh of relief after it landed in Mumbai in the
early hours on Tuesday.
Airbus A340, the aircraft which had
taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 pm local time, reached Mumbai
just after 4 am, said the official.
As many as 25 persons, among them two
minors, had expressed their will to apply for asylum and were still on French
soil, as per French authorities.
Authorities soon released two others,
who were held and produced before a judge, and were placed on assisted witness
status, reported a French news channel.
Chronology of Grounded Flight in France
As Per Officials
- The flight, operated by Romanian charter
company Legend Airlines, was bound for Nicaragua - The charter, carrying 11 unaccompanied
minors, landed at Vatry Airport for a technical stopover en route from Dubai on
Thursday. - There, French police intervened and
arranged makeshift beds for the stranded passengers. - They were given access to toilets and
showers in addition to meals and hot drinks in the hall of Vatry airport. - A judicial probe was initiated by the French
authorities into the conditions to know the objective of the trip. - A unit specialising in organised crime joined
in investigating suspected human trafficking.
Nicaragua
And Dunki Flights
If any people seek asylum in US, they
head towards Nicaragua which is emerging destination for the same reason.
In shocking revelation by the US Customs
and Border Patrol or CBP, at least 96,917 Indians tried to enter US unlawfully in
the financial year 2023. The data signals a 51.61 per cent rise from the
previous year.
Among them, at least 41,770 Indians
attempted to trespass US through the Mexican land border, reveals CBP data.
In Nicaragua or third countries obtaining
travel documents are trouble-free and flights flying to these nations have been
termed as ‘dunki’ flights.
