France grounds planes bound for Nicaragua with around 300 Indians on board

The prosecutor’s office said an anonymous tip indicated the flight was carrying people who may have been victims of human trafficking.

London: A Nicaragua-bound plane that departed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 303 Indian passengers on board has been grounded in France for suspected “human trafficking”, French authorities were quoted as saying by local media on Friday.

According to a newspaper report by Le Monde, the national anti-organized crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation. Special investigators are questioning all those on board and two people are in custody pending further investigation, the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The prefecture in the northeastern department of Marne said the A340, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, “remained grounded on the tarmac of Vatry airport after landing” on Thursday. Vatry Airport, located 150 kilometers east of Paris, mainly serves budget airlines.

According to the newspaper report, the prefecture said the plane needed to refuel and was carrying 303 Indian nationals who were believed to have been working in the UAE. After landing in France, the passengers were initially kept on the plane, but then released and given individual beds in the terminal building. The entire airport was cordoned off by the police.

The prosecutor’s office said an anonymous tip indicated the flight was carrying people who may have been victims of human trafficking. Passengers were eventually transferred to the main hall of Vatry’s small airport, where cots were set up for them to spend the night on Thursday, the Marne region administration told the newspaper.

Investigators from a specialized French organized crime unit, border police and aviation officers are working on the case.

Legend Airlines has not yet commented on the incident.