PTC Web Desk: Despite the charter plane departing for Mumbai after obtaining legal permissions, more than 20 passengers suspected of involvement in human trafficking chose to remain behind in France. Among them are 20 adults and five minors who have sought asylum within the country, as stated by sources. The nationalities of these pesons were not disclosed. Their asylum applications are set to undergo processing at the Paris airport.
Notably, international law prohibits the deportation of asylum seekers back to their country of origin. Two more persons who were interrogated by the French authorities regarding suspected involvement in trafficking also chose to remain in France. However, their lawyer mentioned that they have received expulsion orders from the country.
Reports indicate that these individuals were released after law enforcement officials became convinced that they had boarded the flight voluntarily.
The lawyer highlighted that the judge’s ability to withstand media pressure in this instance was instrumental in securing their release.
The aircraft owned by Romania’s Legend Airlines arrived in Mumbai earlier on Tuesday carrying a total of 276 passengers, following approval from a French judge. The plane took off from Vatry at approximately 2:30 pm local time and arrived in Mumbai shortly after 4 am (IST).
The specific number of Indian passengers among the 276 and the nationalities of the remaining travellers have not been disclosed or confirmed.
