Indian Embassy Gets Consular Access to Those on Plane Grounded in France Over 'Human Trafficking'
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New Delhi: Indian embassy officials in France have been granted consular access to passengers aboard a charted flight that was grounded by French authorities on the allegations of human trafficking. Of the total 303 passengers onboard, most of them are Indians.
The flight in question took off from Dubai and landed at Vatry airport in France for a "technical stopover" and was supposed to take off for Nicaragua in Latin America.
According to Reuters, French police stopped the flight and launched an investigation into the purpose of the trip. Two passengers have been taken into custody, as per the France24 channel.
The flight, carried out by a Romanian charter company, had departed from Dubai on Thursday and landed at the small Vatry airport for a technical stopover when police intervened, the Marne prefect's office said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.
A tweet from the Indian embassy to France affirmed, “French authorities informed us of a plane w/ 303 people, mostly Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport”.
The embassy also stated that a team of officials had reached the airport and obtained consular access. “We are investigating the situation, also ensuring the wellbeing of passengers,” it said.
Local French television has reported that authorities were investigating on suspicion of human trafficking. The Marne Prefet’s office confirmed to Reuters that a judicial investigation has been opened.
“The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, Legend Airlines from Romania, which owns the charter flight, said it had committed "no offence". "The company denied any wrongdoing in the incident and is at the disposal of the French authorities. But the airline would take legal action if the prosecutors file charges," said Liliana Bakayoko, the lawyer for the airline, according to AFP.
People familiar with the case said the Indian passengers might have planned to travel to Central America to attempt illegal entry into the United States or Canada, reported LiveMint.
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