About 300 Indian citizens, including families with children and unaccompanied minors, have been sequestered at a small airport in the Champagne region of France. This comes as French officials investigate whether the charter flight they were on was involved in human trafficking.

The passengers were en route to Nicaragua when French authorities received a tip and grounded the unmarked A340 plane. Two passengers were detained as part of a special investigation into suspected human trafficking by an organized criminal group. The exact nature of the trafficking or the plane's intended destination, potentially the United States, remains undisclosed by prosecutors.

Since Thursday, the stranded passengers have been provided camp beds at the Vatry airport, which primarily handles small or chartered flights. Indian consular representatives are present at the airport, working with the French government to ensure the welfare of the citizens and a speedy resolution to the situation.

The Legend Airlines charter flight, which originated from the United Arab Emirates and was bound for Managua, Nicaragua, had 15 crew members, who were questioned and subsequently released. The lawyer representing Legend Airlines, Liliana Bakayoko, denied any knowledge of trafficking related to the plane or its passengers. The customer who chartered the plane, a non-European company, has previously chartered multiple flights from Dubai to Nicaragua without incident.

It is worth noting that Nicaragua has been designated by the U.S. government as one of several countries failing to meet minimum standards for eradicating human trafficking.

The number of Indian migrants traveling through Mexico has seen a significant increase this year. According to the Mexican Immigration Agency, the number rose from less than 3,000 in 2022 to over 11,000 between January and November of this year.

As the investigation unfolds, Indian citizens remain stranded at the French airport, hoping for a prompt resolution and the opportunity to continue their journey to Nicaragua. French authorities are diligently working to uncover the truth behind the suspected human trafficking and ensure the safety and well-being of all involved.