Gujarat, India

In the case of a Nicaragua-bound donkey flight that was grounded in France over suspicions of human trafficking, Gujarat police booked at least 14 travel agents of whom seven are facing charges of human trafficking, destruction of evidence, and conspiracy. 

Advertisment

The Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has pressed charges against agents accused of aiding a group of at least 66 individuals out of the 303 passengers on the Legend Airlines plane to fly them illegally to the US. The aircraft originated from Fujairah in the UAE and was en route to Nicaragua and aimed to take passengers to the US via the Mexico border "illegally," according to media reports that cited officials.

Also Read | US carries out new strikes in Yemen after Biden vows to protect shipping in Red Sea

This comes as the Gujarat police have been interrogating dozens of passengers who were onboard the Nicaragua-bound flight. The authorities are trying to bust any illegal immigration network that works out of Gujarat. 

Advertisment

Also Read | Taiwan Elections 2024: Why results of these polls are crucial for global economy

The passengers from Gujarat who landed in Mumbai, along with others, were sent back to the state. In the latest development into the case, an inspector at CID Crime’s Economic Offence branch PJ Kharsan filed a complaint, based on which an FIR was lodged on Wednesday (Jan 10). 

Seven out of 14 booked are from different districts of Gujarat - Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Valsad. The others are from Delhi, Dubai, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the US, media reports said citing the officials.

Advertisment

Watch | US failed to track more than $1 billion military aid given to Ukraine, watchdog says

The agents are accused of a “well-planned conspiracy to obtain financial benefits of crores of rupees and luring the passengers to get employment in America, while putting (the) passengers’ lives at risk”.

“It’s an international racket involving agents in Gujarat, other parts of India and outside India who are involved in facilitating such large-scale organised smuggling of people from India to USA,” said Additional DG, CID (Crime) S. Pandia Rajkumar.

(With inputs from agencies)