MUMBAI, Dec 26: Early on December 26, a charter plane carrying 276 people—mostly Indians—landed in Mumbai. The aircraft had been grounded in France for four days due to suspicions of human trafficking, according to an official. According to the official, the aircraft, an Airbus A340, touched down in Mumbai just after 4 a.m. At 2:30 p.m. local time, it had taken off from the Vatry airport, which is close to Paris. Authorities in France claim that when the aircraft departed for Mumbai, it carried 276 passengers because 25 people—two of whom were minors—had declared their intention to seek for asylum while they were still in France. According to a French news channel, two more people were detained, produced before a judge, released, and given the status of assisted witnesses.There were 303 Indian passengers on board the aircraft when it landed at Vatry airport, including 11 unaccompanied minors, according to a local official. The stranded passengers were given access to meals and hot beverages in the Vatry airport hall, as well as makeshift beds and restrooms and showers, according to the official. On December 21, while making a technical stopover en route from Dubai, the flight, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines and headed for Nicaragua, had landed at Vatry when French police intervened.The conditions and intent of the trip were the subject of a judicial investigation by French authorities, who assigned an organised crime unit to look into possible human trafficking. A growing number of people leaving the US in search of asylum now go to Nicaragua. Data released by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) indicates that in the fiscal year 2023, up to 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the country illegally, a 51.61% increase from the year before. Based on CBP data, at least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to cross the border into the United States through land in Mexico. Dunki flights are now commonly referred to as flights to Nicaragua or other third countries where obtaining travel documents is simple.
