According to information from investigators, there were also minors on board the plane.
The French judiciary had prevented the plane with a good 300 people from India on board from continuing its flight at Vatry airport in eastern France. The public prosecutor’s office said there had been an anonymous tip that the people on board could be victims of human trafficking. According to them, the national anti-organized crime unit Junalco is leading the investigation.
The plane made a refueling stop in France on the way from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua. If the suspicion is confirmed, those responsible could face a prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of three million euros.
The plane, which belongs to a Romanian airline, will remain at the airport for the time being, the prefecture said. A gendarmerie unit is in action. According to information from investigators, the Indian passengers may have had the goal of traveling illegally from Latin America to the USA or Canada.
The passengers were now in the airport waiting hall, where they were provided with beds. According to local authorities, they were expected to stay in the airport overnight.
The alleged lawyer for the Romanian budget airline Legend Air, Liliana Bakayoko, told the AFP news agency that the company had done nothing wrong and had not committed any crime. The company is “at the disposal of the French authorities”. However, the airline will take legal action if the public prosecutor files charges.
