In an effort to identify a possible network of illegal immigrants operating out of the state, the Gujarat Police have reportedly questioned at least 20 Gujarati passengers who were on the airplane heading for Nicaragua that was forced to return from France midway. This information was published by news agency PTI.
The Airbus A340, which was carrying 276 people on its way to Nicaragua, was grounded in France for four days due to possible human trafficking. It arrived in Mumbai early on December 26.
According to a top state Crime Investigation Department (CID) officer who spoke with PTI, at least 60 of the passengers were from Gujarat and had already returned to their individual home states. The government questioned them to see whether they intended to enter the United States of America illegally after traveling to Latin America.
They had been returned from France. There was a rumor that, after arriving in Nicaragua, they intended to enter the US illegally. They informed us in their statements that they were here as tourists. According to the newspaper, SP Rajkumar, assistant director general of police, CID-Crime and Railways, said, “We are going into the details to find out who were the agents behind their trip.”
Of the sixty who went back to Gujarat, the police said that the agency had previously interrogated around twenty of them.
“We are examining their documentation to see whether they traveled to Central America using real or fake papers. The senior IPS officer said, “We will also examine their financial transactions since, ideally, they shouldn’t have spent extra if they were traveling there as regular tourists and had no other intentions.
“Even though we’re starting to ask questions, nobody is sharing information. They say they were tourists when they visited. The officer said, “We are looking into the matter from every viewpoint.
Sanjay Kharat, superintendent of police, CID (Crime), said on Tuesday that four teams had been created by the CID to look into the matter.
“Agents who had promised the victims assistance in entering the US and other countries (illegally) are the target of the CID (crime)’s desire for action. He told reporters, “We have set up four teams who are going to interview the victims about the promises that these agents made to them.
Indians on an Airbus A340 grounded in France
The Airbus A340 was halted last week for refueling at Vatry airport, east of Paris, and was subsequently taken into custody. After an anonymous warning that it was transporting possible human trafficking victims, it was stopped upon its arrival from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and the majority of the 303 passengers on board were flown back to India on Monday.
Gujarat Police superintendent Sanjay Kharat told news agency AFP that passengers had paid brokers between “four million and 12.5 million rupees” ($48,000 and $150,000) to assist them in crossing the southern border of the United States from South America.
“We want to know how these people came in contact with the agents, or whether the agents contacted them, and what their plan was after reaching Nicaragua,” he said.
According to Kharat, 66 of the 276 passengers that were flown back to India were from his state, and authorities were now questioning them.
“We have identified people who could give us some information into the illegal racket and they are being questioned,” he said.
The majority of the other passengers on the aircraft were from Punjab, where investigators indicated they were also looking into the matter.
Senior Punjab police officer LK Yadav told AFP, “We are examining the issue and we are duty bound to investigate if any illegalities are brought to our notice.”
Legend Airlines, a Romanian charter business, operated the trip, and while the inquiry was underway, the passengers were housed at Vatry airport. Two persons who had been questioned by French authorities for possible human trafficking were among those who remained behind.
They were freed after it was determined that the passengers had boarded the aircraft voluntarily, according to a French legal source.
Five youngsters were among the twenty-five people who applied for refuge in France.
Based on statistics from US Customs and Border Protection, around 100,000 undocumented Indian migrants have tried to enter the US illegally this year.