CID grills 21 Gujarati passengers onboard grounded Nicaragua-bound flight
What's the story
Gujarat's Crime Investigation Department (CID) has recorded the statements of 21 Gujarati passengers onboard the chartered flight that was grounded last week in France.
Carrying over 300 passengers, mostly Indians, the Nicaragua-bound plane operated by Romania-based Legend Airlines took off from Dubai, grounded at France's Chalons-Vatry airport, and eventually sent to Mumbai.
Several of the grilled Gujarati passengers were allegedly unable to explain to investigators why they boarded the chartered flight that mostly had "single persons and unaccompanied minors."
Context
Why does this story matter?
Legend Airlines's Airbus A340 with 303 passengers, including 65 Gujarati passengers, was halted in France on December 21 (local time) over suspicions of human trafficking and remained grounded for four days.
The flight was later allowed to depart from Chalons-Vatry airport and landed in Mumbai with 276 passengers on Tuesday (IST).
The remaining 27 passengers, including five minors, remained in France; 25 sought asylum, and two previously detained passengers were approved aided witness status.
Details
Failed to explain massive payments to agents: CID official
According to The Indian Express, several of these Gujarati passengers have alleged that they were traveling to Nicaragua as tourists.
"They (quizzed passengers from the alleged "donkey flight") had valid documents to procure visas on arrival, and some even had tourist visas," an officer said.
However, they failed to explain why they paid their agents massive amounts of money to board the "dubious chartered flight."
What Next?
Passengers reportedly named 2 local agents
On Friday, officers also revealed the Gujarati passengers named two local agents, who were likely to have charged Rs. 50 lakh or more per person to take them to the United States (US) via Mexico illegally.
However, officers revealed no case could be filed against these agents unless there was evidence of forged documents or any of the passengers decided to file a complaint against them.
Know more
Know about CID's teams probing case
On Tuesday, Superintendent of Police, Gujarat CID (Crime), Sanjay Kharat, revealed that the CID had formed four teams to probe the matter.
"The CID (Crime) wants to take action against agents who had promised help to the victims to enter the US and other countries (illegally)," Kharat said.
"We have formed four teams which will get information from the victims regarding promises made to them by these agents," he added.
More information
What exactly are 'donkey flights'
The word "donkey flight" refers to the illegal way used by some migrants to travel through third-world nations with relaxed travel document requirements to arrive at their destinations.
Donkey or "dunki" in Punjabi is primarily used for unauthorized entry into nations like the United Kingdom (UK), the US, and Canada, among others.
Significantly, this method has gained notoriety among Pakistani and Indian migrants.