A French court will make the decision to extend the stay of 303 passengers—mostly Indians—on a grounded aircraft

 A French court will make the decision to extend the stay of 303 passengers—mostly Indians—on a grounded aircraft

 A French court will make the decision to extend the stay of 303 passengers—mostly Indians—on a grounded aircraft

Some of the passengers spoke Tamil and Hindi, according to French media, and it was thought that they had phoned their relatives.

The station claims that six of the eleven unaccompanied youngsters on board have already started the process of applying for asylum in France.

According to local media sources, four French judges started interrogating 303 passengers on an aircraft headed for Nicaragua on Sunday. The passengers were largely Indians and had been held by French officials at Vatry airport, 150 km east of Paris, on suspicion of "human trafficking" on Thursday. was arrested on allegations of.

"Judges have the power for broadening the detention order implemented by border police initially for eight days, and in the event necessary, to extend it by another eight days," according to the article. Two days are involved. Translators are providing assistance to the judges." in the journal "Le Monde." Some of the passengers spoke Tamil and Hindi, according to French media, and it was thought that they had phoned their relatives. Ten passengers had asked for refuge, according to a person familiar with the situation who was cited by the publication.

According to French authorities, the two passengers and the eleven unaccompanied youngsters who were on board the aircraft were detained for 48 hours on Saturday night after being taken into custody on Friday. Legend Airlines, a Romanian charter firm, is the owner of the aircraft. Liliana Bakayoko, the firm's attorney, denied any participation in human trafficking. According to Bakayoko, the aircraft's partner business was in charge of confirming each passenger's identification papers and notifying the airline of each passenger's passport information 48 hours before to takeoff. Human trafficking is punishable in France by up to 20 years in prison.

The Indian Embassy in France said on Saturday that its personnel had been stationed at the airport close to Paris to monitor the well-being of Indian citizens who had been taken into custody by French police on suspicion of "human trafficking." The embassy commended French officials for their efforts during the extended Christmas holiday weekend to swiftly address the problem in an updated social media statement on Saturday evening.

The embassy had earlier announced that it had been granted consular access for its nationals after the Thursday technical stoppage that caused a United Arab Emirates (UAE) aircraft from Dubai to be halted at Châlons-Vatry airport in Marne. The article on the official There is a consular staff stationed in the embassy. It remarked, "We appreciate the French authorities' efforts over the extended weekend."

This follows a previous report that said, "French authorities informed us about a flight from Dubai to Nicaragua containing 303 people, majority of them of Indian origin, which was stopped at a technical stop at a French airport."The embassy delegation has arrived and obtained access to consulates. In addition to making sure the passengers are safe, we are looking into the matter."

It was stated by French news broadcast television and radio network BFM TV that the decision of whether or not to hold the passengers of the aircraft in an airport waiting room will be made by judges. The president of Châlons-en-Champagne and a lawyer named Francois Procureur remarked, "I don't know if this has already been done in France." When a foreign citizen first arrives in France, border police in France have the authority to hold them for up to four days. Additionally, television networks said that they were unable to reach their intended target.

According to French law, the time frame may be extended by a court for a maximum of 26 days, or by up to eight days in extraordinary circumstances. We cannot hold foreigners in the waiting room for more than ninety-six hours, which makes this critical. Moreover, the judges of liberty and custody have the last say over what happens to them, according to Francois. has been converted to a foreigner waiting area by prefectural regulation. Eleven unaccompanied youngsters are among the passengers; six of them have reportedly already started the process of applying for asylum in France, according to the broadcaster. According to Francois, those who apply for asylum in France would be questioned and informed whether they qualify for political refugee status, the news network said.

The Indian tourists may have planned their trip to reach Central America, from whence they may attempt to enter the United States or Canada without authorization, according to sources. However, the authorities were informed by an anonymous tip that the tourists were probably being trafficked by an organized group for human trafficking. According to the Paris Prosecutor's Office, the goal of the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime (JUNALCO) inquiry is to "verify whether there is an element that will commit a crime" related to human trafficking.

In order to "verify and establish the suspicion of human trafficking by an organized gang," a felony that carries a twenty-year jail sentence and a fine of three million euros, two tourists were placed into police custody on Thursday.