VATRY, France — Authorities reported that over 300 Indian people on their way to Central America were detained in a French airport for the third day on Saturday after a spectacular police operation spurred by a tip that passengers aboard might be victims of human trafficking.
Children and families were among those on board. According to the local civil protection service, the youngest passenger is a toddler of 21 months, and there are several unaccompanied youngsters among the children.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, two of the passengers have been detained as part of a special investigation into alleged human trafficking by an organized criminal network. Prosecutors declined to elaborate on the nature of the suspected trafficking or whether the eventual destination was the United States, which has witnessed an increase in Indians crossing the Mexico-U.S. border this year.
About 300 Indian Travelers Are Stuck In A French Airport In A Human Trafficking Probe
French authorities placed white tarps across the soaring bay windows of the modest Vatry Airport in the Champagne area to safeguard the people’s privacy. The unidentified A340 jet, grounded since Thursday, can be parked near the terminal. Other planes were grounded or rerouted as the airport became the focal point of a massive trafficking probe.
According to a lawyer for the Romania-based airline, the 15 crew members of the Legend Airlines charter flight en way from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua, were questioned and released.
Since Thursday, a bizarre holiday weekend tableau has been emerging at Vatry Airport. The plane halted for refuelling and was grounded by French authorities after an anonymous warning that it was carrying victims of human trafficking, according to the prosecutor’s office.
According to the administration of the Marne region, the unprecedented and sudden investigation hindered air transport by cordoning off the airport and disrupting flights. The airfield is mostly utilized for charter and cargo flights.
About 300 Indian Travelers Are Stuck In A French Airport In A Human Trafficking Probe
According to a Marne administration official, the passengers were detained at the airport and spent two nights on camp beds while the investigation was ongoing. According to the official, the passengers originally remained on the jet, surrounded by police on the tarmac, but were subsequently taken to the airport’s main hall to sleep.
According to Patrick Jaloux, head of the regional civil protection agency, emergency personnel, a doctor, and local volunteers are on the scene, and passengers are receiving regular meals, medical attention, and access to restrooms and showers. A part of the terminal has been designated for families.
”We are trying to find ways to help them pass the time” and decrease their distress as the ordeal continues,” Jaloux told the Associated Press.
Indian consular officers are stationed at the airport and are collaborating with the French authorities ”for the welfare of the Indians” and an ”early resolution of the crisis,” according to a Saturday post on X by the Indian Embassy in France.
Liliana Bakayoko, a lawyer for Legend Airlines, stated that the firm is collaborating with French authorities, rejects any involvement in alleged human trafficking, and ”has not committed any infraction.”
According to Bakayoko, the “partner” company that rented the jet was in charge of validating each passenger’s identity credentials and communicating their passport information to the airline 48 hours before the flight.
About 300 Indian Travelers Are Stuck In A French Airport In A Human Trafficking Probe
According to her, the customer had chartered many flights on Legend Airlines from Dubai to Nicaragua, and a few previous flights had already completed the route without difficulty. She refused to identify the customer, stating it was not a European corporation.
The crew members, who are from various countries, “are rather traumatized,” she said. “They wrote me messages that they want to see their families for Christmas.”
The United States government has named Nicaragua as one of several countries that have failed to satisfy minimum benchmarks for eradicating human trafficking.
Because of eased or visa-free entrance restrictions for some countries, Nicaragua has also been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict in the Caribbean and far-flung countries in Africa or Asia. Charter flights are sometimes employed for travel. Smugglers help the migrants move north by bus from there.
According to the Mexican Immigration Agency, the influx of Indian migrants through Mexico has surged from fewer than 3,000 in 2022 to more than 11,000 from January to November this year. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, Indian people were detained 41,770 times for unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico, more than double the previous year’s total of 18,308 arrests.
SOURCE – (AP)
