A plane carrying 276 Indian passengers that was grounded for four days by French police due to an investigation into possible human trafficking left for India on Monday. This was reported by the French Ministry of the Interior on X.
The plane was grounded at the small airport of Vatry, near Paris. The plane that had departed from Dubai and was on its way to Nicaragua had landed in France on Thursday for a technical stopover. French police arrested the 303 Indian passengers on suspicion of human smuggling. According to the French news agency AFP, some passengers are likely migrant workers who worked in the United Arab Emirates and possibly wanted to travel illegally to North America via Nicaragua. The French police did not release any details about this.
Two passengers appeared before a judge on Monday, but were subsequently released, international news agencies report. The judge gave the duo the status of ‘witness in presence’, which means that further investigation must determine whether they will be charged or the case will be dismissed. In addition to these two passengers, twenty-five other people remained behind. That group applied for asylum in France and would now receive special care.