Who is Shashi Kiran Reddy, the alleged mastermind behind human trafficking flight?

A charter plane with 303 Indian passengers on board was kept grounded in France for four days over suspicions of human trafficking.

Among them, 276 passengers of the Airbus A340, on its way to Nicaragua, returned to India, while 25 chose to remain in France, seeking asylum. As the controversy over the alleged human trafficking angle gained prominence in both France and India, the name of a notorious human smuggler fromsouth Indian city of Hyderabad has come to light.

Reports citing Indian security agencies have claimed that Shashi Kiran Reddy, the alleged kingpin of last year's tragic Dingucha case, is likely the mastermind behind the latest case of alleged human trafficking.

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Who is Shashi Kiran Reddy?

Shashi Kiran Reddy made news last year over his alleged hand in the Dingucha case, where aGujarati family of four was found frozen to death in Canada near the US border.

Reddy was connected to the 'donkey' journey. However, he was let off by the Gujarat police due to a lack of evidence. Now, his name has once again cropped up in connection to the alleged 'donkey flight'.

As per reports, 96 of the passengers aboard the Nicaragua-bound Airbus A340 flight were from Gujarat.

The Times of India citing sources reported that in the last two months, Reddy has sent around 800 illegal Indian immigrants to Nicaragua, posing as tourists.

"Earlier, he sent them on 50-seater flights that halted at Vatry airport. However, recently, French authorities refused to allow one such flight to halt at Vatry airport, and it returned to Dubai. So, Reddy arranged for an aircraft with 300 passengers, assuming it will be allowed to halt and refuel," reported the publication, quoting an unnamed source.

The source also told TOI that on the recent Nicaragua-bound flight, there were passengers who could not make it to Nicaragua previously. As per CNBC, in recent times, Nicaragua has emerged as a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

The Dingucha case

In January 2022, a family of four from Dingucha village, in India's Gujarat, were found frozen to death in Canada's Manitoba. The family — a couple and their two minor children — was reportedly attempting to enter the United States illegally.

Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their children Dharmik and Vihangi, as per a Times of India report, were told to walk in -35°C temperature to evade arrest by the Canadian or US Security agencies.

"Follow the lights of an American gas station because you will find no navigation available in the dark and extreme weather," they were told.

As per TOI, it was found that the victim Jagdish's brother Mahendra, along with Reddy, had coordinated the family's illegal entry into the US with human smugglers.

"Reddy had prepared the documents of Jagdish and his family and coordinated with offshore human smugglers to help them cross the US border." Along with Reddy, three other people were arrested in the case.

(With inputs from agencies)