France grounds plane carrying 300 Indians over suspected human trafficking
- The Nicaragua-bound aircraft, which was detained after an anonymous tipoff, had arrived from the United Arab Emirates
- The passengers might have planned to travel to Central America to attempt illegal entry into the US or Canada
French police were questioning two men on Friday a day after officials grounded a Nicaragua-bound plane carrying more than 300 Indian passengers over suspected “human trafficking,” prosecutors said.
The Airbus A340 had flown in from the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, landing at Vatry airport in eastern France for a technical stopover.
It was held by French authorities after an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying passengers “likely to be victims of human trafficking,” the Paris prosecutors office said. The two men in custody were among the passengers.
“Identity checks are being carried on the 303 passengers and on the cabin crew,” said the prosecutor’s office. They were also checking the conditions in which the passengers were being transported and the purpose of their journey.
A source close to the case said that minors were among the passengers.
The national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO is leading the investigation, said prosecutors.