Indian embassy authorities have reached France's Vatry airport and India has been granted consular access to 300 Indian passengers onboard a Nicaragua-bound plane that was grounded for suspected 'human trafficking'.
The A340 operated by Legend Airlines, a Romanian company, was grounded on the tarmac at Vatry airport after it landed for refuelling on Friday night. An anonymous tip signalled that the flight, from the United Arab Emirates, was carrying people who could be victims of human trafficking.
Passengers, who were made to wait in the aircraft for a while, were eventually transferred into the main hall of the Vatry airport, where beds were set up for them to stay overnight. The French organised crime unit and the border police are working on the case. According to a report by AFP, authorities suspect the passengers might have planned to travel to Central America to attempt an illegal entry into the United States or Canada. Special investigators are checking in what conditions the passengers were being transported and the purpose of the journey, a report by Le Monde stated.
Liliana Bakayoko, who said she was a lawyer for the airline, told AFP the company believed it had done nothing wrong, had committed no offense "and is at the disposal of the French authorities".
We are investigating the situation, and also ensuring the well-being of passengers,” an X post by the Indian High Commission in France said.
-more details awaited
