Indian Flight Arrested Near Paris on Smuggling Suspicions

A Romanian airline flight carrying Indian passengers has been detained near the French capital, Paris, on suspicions of human smuggling, according to Euronews.

French police intercepted the flight which was transporting 300 Indian passengers, including unaccompanied minors, on trafficking suspicions. Two passengers were taken in for questioning.

Reports indicate that 13 unaccompanied minors were on board, alongside the 300 Indian passengers. The flight is owned by Romanian charter airline Legend Airlines and was originally scheduled to fly from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.

“According to my information, this is the first incident where an entire flight with all its passengers has landed under suspicions of human trafficking,” said Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer specializing in international criminal law.

It has been suggested that the Indian passengers, likely working in the UAE, had planned to travel to Central America with the intention of illegally crossing into the US or Canada. This was noted by a source close to the investigation.