The Gujarat Police has initiated questioning of at least 20 passengers from Gujarat who were on the Nicaragua-bound flight that was sent back mid-route from France, uncovering a suspected illegal immigration network operating from the state. The Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landing in Mumbai on December 26.
A senior state Crime Investigation Department (CID) official stated that the passengers, including at least 60 from Gujarat, were questioned to determine if they had any plans to illegally enter the United States after reaching Latin America.
“We are going into the details to find out who were the agents behind their trip,” said SP Rajkumar, additional director-general of police, CID – Crime and Railways. He emphasized that the passengers claim to have gone as tourists, but investigations are ongoing to verify their documents and financial transactions.
The CID has formed four teams to investigate the issue, aiming to take action against agents who promised help to victims to enter the US and other countries illegally. Passengers had paid significant amounts to agents for assistance in reaching the southern border of the United States from South America.
Of the 276 passengers returned to India, 66 were from Gujarat, and the police are in the process of interrogating them. Investigations are also being conducted in Punjab, where most of the flight’s other passengers were from.
The flight was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, and passengers were grounded at Vatry airport during the investigation. While two people questioned by French police over suspected human trafficking were released, 25 passengers sought asylum in France.
Close to 100,000 illegal Indian migrants have attempted to enter the US this year, according to US Customs and Border Protection data.
