Plane grounded in France with mostly Indians lands in Mumbai: News agency PTI

An Airbus A340 carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, landed in Mumbai early this morning, following a four-day detention in France over suspected human trafficking allegations. The charter plane, operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines, had initially taken off from Vatry airport near Paris, only to be detained by French authorities who launched a probe into the purpose of the trip. 

The aircraft landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am. It had taken off from Vatry airport around 2.30 pm local time.

French authorities confirmed that 276 passengers had boarded the plane for the flight, while 25 individuals, including two minors, remained on French soil seeking asylum.

Upon landing in Vatry on Friday, it was found that there were 11 unaccompanied minors among 303 passengers. The stranded passengers were provided with makeshift beds, access to toilets and showers, and meals, along with hot drinks, in the halls of Vatry airport during the four-day ordeal.

The flight’s connection to Nicaragua raised eyebrows, as the central American nation has seen a surge in individuals seeking asylum in the United States. According to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), there has been a significant increase in Indians attempting to enter the US illegally, with 96,917 recorded in the fiscal year 2023, representing a 51.61 percent jump from the previous year.

Of particular concern is the method employed by some migrants, known as ‘dunki’ flights, where individuals transit through third countries with lenient travel document requirements to reach their final destinations.

Why It Was Grounded

The flight – a charter service from Dubai – had landed at the airport, which is around 160 km from Paris, to refuel. It was then grounded after a tip-off the passengers were “likely to be victims of human trafficking”.

According to news agency AFP sources, the plane may be linked to a crime syndicate attempting to smuggle individuals into the United States. The investigation is now under the jurisdiction of France’s anti-organised crime unit, JUNALCO.

Human trafficking, if proven, carries severe consequences in France, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years. 

The Indian Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off India’s west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port.

In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain “deterrent presence”, officials said.

Saturday’s drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm.

“On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack,” a Navy spokesperson said.

“However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack including type and amount of explosive used,” he said.

A Pentagon spokesperson said on Sunday that MV Chem Pluto was hit by “a one-way attack drone fired from Iran”.

The Indian Navy spokesperson said a joint investigation by various agencies commenced following completion of the analysis of the vessel by the explosive ordnance team.

“MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking ship to ship transfer of cargo,” he said.

“This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto,” he said.

The official said three guided missile destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea in view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident.

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military.

“Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata, in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence,” the official said.

He said long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.

“Western Naval Command’s Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with Coast Guard and all concerned agencies,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)