On Wednesday, the Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department (CID) reported that passengers aboard Legend Airlines’ flight, which returned to Mumbai from Vatry Airport in France, intended to reach Nicaragua. They were promised safe passage to the United States via Mexico after their layover in the Central American country.
According to The Indian Express, at least 21 passengers from Gujarat, along with their families, are set to be interrogated by the CID. This interrogation aims to clarify their potential involvement in an alleged immigration scam and to identify the agents who assured them of a journey to the United States.
The Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department is a specialized branch of the Gujarat State Police in India responsible for investigating serious and intricate crimes.
The charter flight, departing from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates with 303 passengers, mostly Indians, had a four-day stopover in France due to suspected human trafficking. The citizens are from the districts of Banaskantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Patan, as documented by the newspaper.
In recent weeks, LA PRENSA has documented charter flights by Legend Airlines arriving in Managua. While these flights were confirmed not to transport tourists, they carried migrants from India and former Soviet Union countries who disembarked in Nicaragua before continuing their journey to the United States or Canada.
They added that the CID is «closely collaborating» with central agencies investigating the potential case of illegal immigration to the United States or Canada. The CID has formed four teams to investigate the case, suspecting the involvement of at least six police officers.
Flight blocked
On Friday, December 22, this plane was detained at Vatry Airport, located about 150 km east of Paris, during a stopover for refueling. The decision to detain the aircraft came after receiving an ‘anonymous tip’ alerting authorities to the potential presence of ‘victims’ of a ‘human trafficking’ network, as per information from the Paris Prosecutor’s Office provided to AFP. French authorities had detained two passengers.
While around 65 individuals from Gujarat are on the list of 303 passengers who boarded the flight from Fujairah, the Gujarat police have identified 21 of them so far. Officials mentioned that it’s possible some of the Gujarat residents stayed in France seeking asylum.
Police Superintendent (CID) Sanjay Kharat told The Indian Express: «These 21 passengers are mostly from northern Gujarat, primarily from the districts of Mehsana, Gandhinagar, and Anand. There are also a few from other districts. We are currently zeroing in on these 21 individuals… The number might increase. We are verifying the people who remained on the flight and are awaiting official confirmation from the immigration department (if there were more passengers from Gujarat)…»
New migrant route
«Through primary investigation and technical analysis, we are trying to determine if there was a common point of contact for them. They had boarded the charter flight from Fujairah to Nicaragua intending to head to Mexico and then to the United States using the ‘donkey route’…» as documented by The Indian Express.
«CID teams will be reaching out to them to gather details about their journey. We will verify if the documents they traveled with were authentic and who aided them in reaching the flight… So far, no agent has been identified… Relatives of the passengers will also be interrogated,» stated Kharat.
«In December, two direct flights landed in Managua. The first arrived on Saturday, December 9, at 8:37 p.m. It departed from Châlons Vatry International Airport in France, operated by Legend Airlines based in Romania. This airline leases aircraft and conducts charter flights using its fleet of Airbus A-340, one of the long-haul commercial airplanes capable of carrying up to 359 passengers, according to specifications.»
«We will also question the passengers to determine if the agents made false promises to them… Agents involved in the scam will be profiled,» he added.
Meanwhile, Mehsana district police had earlier conducted a search within their jurisdiction to locate Kiran Patel, an agent whose name emerged in the case. Patel, hailing from the district, is a known operator in illegal immigration and is believed to be currently based in Ahmedabad,» officials said. «However, he has remained untraceable since the flight was suspended in France.
The flight, operated by the Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had landed in Vatry on December 21 for a technical stop when the French police intervened. French authorities initiated a judicial investigation into the circumstances and purpose of the trip, with a specialized unit in organized crime investigating suspicions of human trafficking.
Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the United States. Up to 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the United States illegally in the fiscal year 2023, marking a 51.61 percent increase from the previous year, according to data provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). At least 41,770 of these Indians attempted to enter the United States via the land border with Mexico, as indicated by CBP data. Flights to Nicaragua or to third countries where travel documents are easily obtainable are known as ‘dunki flights’ (donkey route), as reported by the Indian media.
