A PLANE with close to 300 Indian passengers detained near Paris over suspicions of human trafficking took off on Monday (25) for Mumbai after being cleared for departure by French police.
The Airbus A340 carrying 303 Indians had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained last Thursday (21) at Vatry airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refuelling.
It had arrived from Dubai and there was an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.
Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane that took off just before 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT).
Among the passengers staying behind were two people questioned by French police over suspected people trafficking, but a judicial source said they had now been released after establishing that the 303 passengers had boarded the plane on their own free will.
Their suspects' release came because "the investigating judge was able to resist media pressure in this case", said their lawyer, Salome Cohen.
The others, 25 people of whom two are minors, have sought asylum in France, the prefecture said. Their applications would be processed at Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
After questioning the passengers for two days, French prosecutors on Sunday (24) gave the go-ahead for the plane to leave.
A source close to the inquiry said the Indians were likely workers in the United Arab Emirates who had been bound for Nicaragua as a jumping off spot for the United States or Canada.
The passengers of the flight, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, were put up at the airport during the investigation.
Beds, toilets and showers were installed, the local prefecture said, while police have prevented the press and outsiders from entering the airport.
The passengers included 11 unaccompanied minors, according to Paris prosecutors.
The Indian embassy in Paris on Saturday (23) posted on X that "embassy consular staff" were on site to work with French authorities "for the welfare" of detained passengers for an "early resolution of the situation".
The authorisation for the plane to leave came after a French court ruled that any further detention of three of the passengers would be illegal.
But Genevieve Colas, coordinator at the Secours Catholique-Caritas association, said the release of the plane had "surprised" her.
"What if they really are victims of people trafficking," she asked. "Then it wouldn't be right to just let them take off to another country."
The 30 crew members were not detained. Some handled the Dubai-Vatry leg and others were to take over for the flight to Managua. According to Flightradar24, Legend Airlines has just four planes.
(AFP)
Plane with Indian passengers leaves France for Mumbai
Of the original 303 passengers, 276 head to India while 25 others have sought asylum in France
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)