NEW DELHI: A plane with 303 Indians on board, held in France over human trafficking concerns, landed in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning, news agency PTI reported, citing an official.
The charter plane bound for Nicaragua was grounded in Vatry, France, due to a human trafficking investigation. The flight departed for Mumbai on Monday after French authorities allowed the plane to leave France. Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane.
The Airbus A340 flight from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua in Central America, operated by the Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, remained grounded at Vatry Airport last Thursday.
Plane grounded in France: Anonymous reference to “human trafficking”, 2 prisoners and further details about the flight with 303 Indians
Among the passengers who remained behind were two people who were being questioned by French police on suspicion of human trafficking. However, a judicial source said police released them “after determining that the 303 passengers had boarded the plane of their own free will.”
The suspects' release came because “the investigating judge in this case was able to withstand media pressure,” said their lawyer Salome Cohen.
According to media reports, two passengers were arrested after questioning by French authorities.
Meanwhile, the prefect's office opened a judicial investigation focused on the purpose and conditions under which these passengers were flown to the Central American country.
French authorities are continuing to investigate the case for violations of immigration laws, but no longer for potential human trafficking, judicial sources said.
About 25 have applied for asylum and have been moved to a special zone for asylum seekers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.
(With AFP inputs)