After a remarkable holiday adventure that saw approximately 300 Indians traveling to Central America halted inside a rural French airport for four days, a charter plane stopped in France for a human trafficking investigation took off for India on Monday.
After the crew and almost 200 other passengers boarded the aircraft, the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 took off, as witnessed by Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne area. What would happen to anybody who chose not to board the plane was not immediately apparent.
A toddler aged 21 months was among the passengers who were grounded in France, along with 11 unaccompanied minors who were placed under special administrative care. In France, a number of travelers have applied for asylum, a representative of the Marne regional prefecture said.
The Paris prosecutor's office reported that two passengers were taken into custody and will go before a judge on Monday to answer to potential accusations that include membership in an organized criminal cell that aids foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the country illegally.
French authorities freed the plane carrying over 300 Indian passengers who had been arrested in Paris on suspicion of human trafficking, and the jet took off. According to news agency AFP, the Airbus A340 carrying Indian passengers was stopped at Vatry airport after arriving from Dubai for refueling. The aircraft was headed for Nicaragua. After receiving an anonymous tip that the aircraft may have been carrying human trafficking victims, the jet was forced to land.
"Thank you to the French Government and Vatry Airport for the prompt resolution of the situation that allowed Indian passengers to return home and for their hospitality," the Indian Embassy in France tweeted. In order to guarantee welfare and a smooth and safe return, you should also collaborate closely with the embassy team, who is on site at all times.
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