Passengers on France 'human trafficking' plane paid nearly $100K for illegal US entry

As many as 66 people on board theNicaragua-bound plane that was sent back to India on "human trafficking" concerns were reportedly from the western state of Gujarat. Initial investigation by thestate Crime Investigation Department (CID) has found that these 66 had agreed to pay anywhere between Rs 60-80 lakh ($72,000-$96,000) to immigration agents to cross into the US illegally.

“In order to migrate illegally to the US, they had agreed to pay between Rs 60 lakh to 80 lakh (in total) to the local agents,” the CID stated, adding that passengers paid an advance of up to Rs 8 lakh ($9,600), including the ticket fees to the agents.

The state CID said it has the information of 15 agents, who had promised to facilitate the alleged illegal immigration and that it will soon question them.CID says the majority of the passengers from Gujarat had only studied till the 8th or maximum 12th standard.

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To expand its probe, Gujarat CID has written tothe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and sought details from Dubai authorities on the agency that chartered the flightas well as on the financial transactions to secure visas from the UAE.

Watch | First visuals of passengers of plane grounded in France; returns with 276 indian passengers

What happened with the plane and passengers?

On December 21, 303 Indian passengers boarded a Legend Airlines' A340 flight operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines in Dubai. The plane had stopped in Vatry, France for refuelling, where, based on a tip-off that the plane was carrying suspected victims of trafficking - itwas grounded for four days.

After being interrogated by the French authorities, the plane landed in Mumbai on December 26, albeit with 276 passengers. The rest applied for asylum and were transferred to a special zone in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers.

Among the passengers who stayed in France were five minors, who have now been taken into the care of child welfare services.

Notably, passengers of the chartered plane had arrived in UAE at different times and each of them had legal tourist visas for entering Dubai. However, they all congregated at the same place and left for Nicaragua together before the flight was cut short in France.

(With inputs from agencies)