Human trafficking: Plane with 300 Indian passengers to land in Mumbai airport
Mumbai: A plane carrying 300 passengers of Indian origin, detained by the French government on suspicion of human trafficking, is expected to land at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Sahar on Tuesday morning.
description of dramatic event
The chartered plane had taken off from Dubai and was en route to Nicaragua when the pilot made a technical stop at Vitry airport, about 160 km from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport. Apparently, acting on a tip-off, French authorities detained the Romanian Legend Airlines plane on December 21 and began questioning the passengers, including 11 unaccompanied children. Due to language and other difficulties, French authorities abandoned their investigation and directed that the airplane be flown to Mumbai as most of the passengers held Indian passports.
Sources in the foreign manpower export industry in Mumbai expressed surprise that such a large number of people, including children, were trafficked. He said that although cases of human trafficking have been reported in the past, this is the first time that such a large number of people have been allegedly trafficked.
India’s laws against trafficking
India has taken a strong stance against human trafficking and introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013, which replaced Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code with Sections 370 and 370A, which deal with human trafficking, including trafficking of children. Provides comprehensive measures to counter the threat. For exploitation in any form.” The Union Home Ministry has an Anti Trafficking Cell (ATC) to deal with cases of human trafficking. It also issues frequent advisories to various states.
A manpower exporter told FPJ that it was precisely because smuggling from the Indian airport was now difficult that 300 passengers were first taken to Dubai and from there an attempt was made to take them to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. He added, “But I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would want to go to a predominantly agricultural and poor country like Nicaragua unless the idea was to push them across the Mexican border into the US.” ‘
There is also doubt as to why the pilot landed in France. Direct flights from Dubai to Managua take over 26 hours non-stop. It is possible that some passengers were to land on French soil and seek refuge, and some of them did just that.
However, the picture will become clear after the flight lands in Mumbai with human luggage. It is expected that senior officials of the Intelligence Bureau and local police will interrogate the passengers to find out the mastermind behind this major operation.
