Gujarat police have interrogated at least 20 passengers from Gujarat who were on a Nicaragua-bound flight that was repatriated from France in a bid to unravel a suspected illegal migrant network operating from the state. PTI reported.
An Airbus A340 plane bound for Nicaragua with 276 passengers on board was grounded in France for four days on suspicion of human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the early hours of December 26th.
A senior official from the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told PTI that these passengers include at least 60 people from Gujarat and have already reached their respective places of origin in the state. After arriving in Latin America, they were interrogated by the department to determine whether they had any plans to enter the United States illegally.
“They were sent back from France. Rumors circulated that they were planning to enter the United States illegally after landing in Nicaragua. In their statement, they said they intended to go there as tourists. “We are looking into the details to find out who the operatives were behind their journey,” the report said. It quotes SP Rajkumar.
Of the 60 people who returned to Gujarat, around 20 have already been shot dead by authorities, police said.
“We verify their documents to see if they used real or fake documents to go to Central America. We also check their financial transactions. Ideal They have a different intention because if they are not traveling to Central America and are going there as a normal tourist, there is no need to pay more,” a senior IPS officer said. Ta.
“We have started questioning but no one has come forward. They claim that they went there as tourists. We are investigating the case from all angles,” the officer said. .
On Tuesday, Superintendent of Police CID (Crime) Sanjay Karat said the CID had formed four teams to investigate the matter.
“The CID (criminal organization) wants to take action against agents who promised to help victims enter the US and other countries (illegally). We have formed four teams, “We will obtain information from the victims regarding the promises made by these investigators,” he told reporters.
Airbus A340 carrying Indian nationals grounded in France
The Airbus A340 was detained last week at Vatry Airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refueling. The ship, which had arrived from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was stopped after receiving an anonymous tip that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking, leaving most of the 303 people on board. returned to India on Monday.
The passengers received “4 million to 12.5 million rupees” ($48,000 to $150,000) in aid to reach the southern U.S. border from South America, Gujarat state police superintendent Sanjay Karat told AFP. It is said that the company paid its employees .
“We want to know how these people came into contact with the operatives, or whether the operatives contacted them, and what plans they had after arriving in Nicaragua. ,” he said.
Of the 276 passengers who returned to India, 66 were from the state and police are investigating them, Karat said.
“We have identified people who may be able to provide information regarding illegal activities and they are being questioned,” he said.
Most of the other passengers on the flight were from Punjab and police said they were also conducting searches in Punjab.
“We have a duty to investigate any reports of illegal activity and we are currently looking into the matter,” LK Yadav, a senior police official in Punjab, told AFP.
The flight was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, and the passengers were waiting at Vatri airport during the investigation. Those who remained in France included two people who were investigated by French police on suspicion of human trafficking.
French judicial officials said the passengers were released after it was determined that they had boarded the plane of their own free will.
A further 25 passengers, including five minors, sought asylum in France.
Nearly 100,000 illegal Indian immigrants have attempted to enter the United States this year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
(Information provided by PTI, AFP)