Two of the 303 Indian passengers on the plane from the United Arab Emirates, which has been grounded in the Marne (north-eastern France) since Thursday, will be brought before an investigating judge on Monday with a view to possible charges, we learned from the Paris public prosecutor's office.
• Also read: Indian passengers stranded in the Marne were scheduled to leave on Monday
• Also read: Suspicion of human trafficking: Legal marathon for 300 Indians stranded in France
A judicial investigation into aiding and abetting the illegal entry and stay of foreigners in organized gangs and participation in a criminal organization has been initiated, the public prosecutor's office said.
These two men, born in 2000 and 1984, were taken into police custody on Friday on suspicion of playing a role in a possible illegal immigration network.
The public prosecutor requested that she be placed in custody.
According to a source familiar with the matter, boarding passes from some other passengers were found in their luggage, which is among the “elements that suggest they may play a role.”
The passengers boarded this plane voluntarily, so the classification as human trafficking by an organized gang is not guaranteed at this point, this source says.
The Airbus A340 carrying these 303 Indians, flying between Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, landed in Vatry, 150 km from Paris, on Thursday afternoon to refuel.
Authorities are “trying to obtain the necessary authorizations for the plane to take off again,” “which should be done no later than Monday morning,” the Marne prefecture said on Sunday after the courts approved the departure.