The Indian government is launching an investigation into suspected human trafficking after a Nicaragua-bound flight was grounded while it carried a total of 303 passengers.
Most people on the plane were young men up to 40. The flight returned to Mumbai on Tuesday morning from Vatry airport, where it was held following an anonymous signal alleging "human trafficking."
India Investigates Potential Human Trafficking
Based on the details of the passengers shared by sources in the Punjab government, 211 passengers were in the 18 to 30 age bracket and 59 were in the 31 to 40 age group. There were only 15 passengers who were older than 40 years, and another 18 were minors under 18 years.
Sources from the Punjab Police added that roughly 70% of the passengers on the flight appeared to have been from Punjan, given their surnames and second names. The other large group of passengers were said to have been from Gujarat, as per the Indian Express.
While only 65 people were from the Gujarat state, sources said that the police have only identified 21 so far. They noted that some of the passengers from the state may have stayed back in France, seeking asylum.
The Punjab government is preparing a report to determine how many Punjabis were onboard the aircraft chartered from Bucharest-based carrier Legend Airlines. They will also investigate how the passengers were taken aboard the aircraft.
In a statement, Punjab's NRI Affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said they would also be looking into whether the travel agent facilitating the passengers' travel was from Punjab. He added that they will investigate and take action against travel agents employing illegal means to send youths abroad.
France Grounds Nicaragua-Bound Flight
A senior Gujarat police official, Sanjay Kharat, said that authorities obtained the names and addresses of the 21 people identified from the state. According to Reuters, he added that they have already spoken with some of the passengers and/or their family members.
An official at India's home ministry spoke about the incident on the condition of remaining anonymous. He said that the registration of the chartered flight and the people who operated the entire nexus had been identified. However, he declined to elaborate as a ministry spokesperson did not respond to requests for comments.
French authorities also placed two passengers on the Nicaragua-bound flight on "assisted witness" status. This was done after they were investigated for suspected people smuggling as 25 others remained in the country to apply for asylum. The term "assisted witness" is an intermediate status between a witness and an indicted suspect.
The 25 passengers who were released after being suspected of human trafficking are not "free to do as they please" despite being in an irregular situation on French territory.
The judge handling the case ordered their release on formal grounds, considering that the head of the border police at the country's main Charles De Gaulle airport "had not referred the case to him," said the South China Morning Post.
