Plane carrying detained Indian nationals from France to land at Mumbai airport on Monday

On Sunday, four French judges questioned the detained passengers.
Gendarmes patrol by the plane grounded by police based that it could be carrying trafficking victims, at the Vary airport , Monday, Dec. 25, 2023 in Vatry, eastern France.(Photo | PTI)
Gendarmes patrol by the plane grounded by police based that it could be carrying trafficking victims, at the Vary airport , Monday, Dec. 25, 2023 in Vatry, eastern France.(Photo | PTI)

MUMBAI: A plane carrying more than 300 passengers, mostly Indians, is expected to land at Mumbai airport on Monday afternoon, three days after it was detained by French authorities over suspected human trafficking, a source said.

The A340 aircraft, being operated by Romania's Legend Airlines, is expected to land at Mumbai airport around 2.20 pm.

The plane had taken off from the airport at Vatry near Paris where it was grounded, the source said.

The Nicaragua-bound flight that had taken off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with 303 passengers was grounded at Vatry airport, 150 kilometers east of Paris, on Thursday over suspected "human trafficking".

On Sunday, four French judges questioned the detained passengers.

The hearings were conducted as part of the investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor's office on the suspicion of human trafficking.

According to the French media, some of the passengers spoke Hindi, and others Tamil.

After authorizing the plane to leave, the French judges on Sunday chose to cancel the hearings of the passengers due to irregularities in the procedure.

The plane includes 11 unaccompanied minors.

Two passengers in custody since Friday had their detention extended on Saturday evening for up to 48 hours, according to French prosecutors.

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