Flight sent back from France: Gujarat Police record statements of 66 passengers

The Gujarat Police said on Saturday (January 6) that it will crack down on immigration agents after recording the statements of all 66 passengers from the state who were on a flight sent back to India by France.

The 66 were among 303 Indian passengers on a Romanian chartered flight on its way to Nicaragua when it landed in Paris on December 21. It was sent back to Mumbai five days later.

French asylum

Twenty-seven of the passengers, however, sought asylum in France and stayed back in that country.

Superintendent of Police (CID-Crime and Railways) Sanjay Kharat told the media in Ahmedabad that the passenger statements were recorded as part of the CID's probe into alleged human trafficking.

An FIR will be lodged soon, he said.

Immigration agents

Kharat said details of 15 immigration agents suspected to be involved in the racket have been gathered. All the 66 from Gujarat have returned to villages, he said.

They included some minors and were mainly from Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Anand districts.

Nicaragua-to-US

"We have got names and other details of some agents from Gujarat and other parts of the country. A probe is underway to find out how they sent people to Dubai and further to Nicaragua with the aim of illegal entry into the US," the officer said.

Fifteen immigration agents have been tracked and were being quizzed, he said.

Big money

The Gujarat CID had earlier said the passengers had paid Rs 60-80 lakh each to enter the US illegally after reaching Nicaragua via Dubai.

Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

As many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in 2023, according to US Customs and Border Patrol.

(With agency inputs)