highlights
France allowed the plane, which was stopped for three days, to take off on Monday.
The plane was stopped at an airport near Paris on suspicion of ‘human trafficking’.
There are 303 passengers on board this plane, most of whom are Indians.
Paris. French authorities on Monday allowed a plane to take off after being held up for three days at an airport near Paris on suspicion of ‘human trafficking’. There are 303 passengers on board this plane, most of whom are Indians. French TV and radio news network ‘BFM TV’ reported that after allowing the plane to depart, French judges halted the hearing of the case involving more than 300 passengers due to irregularities in the process. The plane was stopped by French authorities at Vatry Airport, 150 kilometers east of Paris, on suspicion of ‘human trafficking’ on Thursday and the 303 detained passengers were questioned by four French judges on Sunday.
The hearing took place as part of an investigation launched by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of human trafficking. Now the plane is expected to take off on Monday morning. There is no information about its destination. The plane could be flown to India, where most of the passengers are from, or to Nicaragua, which was its original destination, or to Dubai, where the plane took off from. According to French media, some passengers are speaking in Hindi and some in Tamil and are believed to have contacted their families via telephone. The newspaper quoted a source related to the case as saying that ten passengers have requested for asylum.
According to French prosecutors, 11 minors aboard the plane, who were traveling without guardians, have been in custody since Friday. Apart from this, two adult passengers are also in custody since Friday. Everyone’s custody was extended for the next 48 hours on Saturday evening. This aircraft is owned by the Romanian charter company ‘Legend Airlines’. The company’s lawyer Liliana Bakayoko has denied any involvement in ‘human trafficking’. Liliana said that a ‘partner’ company had chartered the plane and was responsible for verifying the identity documents of each passenger. It gives passport information of passengers to the airline 48 hours before the flight. In France, there is a provision of punishment of up to 20 years for human trafficking.
there France India’s embassy in the US on Saturday said its staff were at the airport near Paris to assist Indian nationals after French authorities detained the travelers on suspected human trafficking charges. In an updated message on social media Saturday evening, the embassy thanked French authorities for working over the long Christmas holiday weekend to try to quickly resolve the situation.