A civil protection vehicle parked outside the Vatry airport, where a plane carrying 303 Indian passengers is grounded on the tarmac since December 21, due to 'suspicions of human trafficking'. (AFP)

France grounds Nicaragua-bound aircraft with 303 Indians on board

France’s national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation, French media reports said.

23 Dec 2023, 02:59 by Yeshi Seli · The New Indian Express

The Nicaragua-bound aircraft, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had taken off from Dubai and landed in Vatry airport for a technical stopover when police intervened following an anonymous tipoff.

France’s national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation, French media reports said. According to a source, the passengers may have been trying to cross over to the US or Canada illegally after landing in Nicaragua’s capital Managua.

“French authorities informed us of a plane with 303 people, mostly Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport. Embassy team has reached & obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring wellbeing of passengers,” the Indian mission in Paris said in a statement.

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NEW DELHI: In an eerie coincidence, on the day Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film Dunki — which deals with human trafficking — released in theatres the world over, French authorities grounded a plane carrying 303 Indians over suspected human trafficking. The Nicaragua-bound aircraft, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had taken off from Dubai and landed in Vatry airport for a technical stopover when police intervened following an anonymous tipoff. France’s national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation, French media reports said. According to a source, the passengers may have been trying to cross over to the US or Canada illegally after landing in Nicaragua’s capital Managua.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); “French authorities informed us of a plane with 303 people, mostly Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport. Embassy team has reached & obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring wellbeing of passengers,” the Indian mission in Paris said in a statement. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp