CID records statements of 66 people from Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: The statements of all 66 passengers from Gujarat on the Nicaragua-bound flight that was sent back to India by France have been recorded as part of the state CID’s probe into alleged human trafficking, and an FIR will be lodged soon, an official said on Saturday.

The flight operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines had landed at Vatry near Paris on December 21 after which French authorities intervened to probe a human trafficking angle. The flight, with 276 passengers, landed in Mumbai on December 26. While the flight that landed in France had 303 Indian passengers, 27 sought asylum in the European nation and stayed back.

Speaking about the probe, Sanjay Kharat, Superintendent of Police, CID-Crime and Railways, who is investigating the case, said details of 15 immigration agents suspected to be involved in the case have been gathered. These 66, including some minors, are mainly from Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Anand.

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