A judge’s ruling has released twenty-five Indian passengers who were detained in France on suspicion of being human traffickers. Prosecutors made the announcement on Wednesday.
The chief of the border police at the Charles De Gaulle airport in France, according to the prosecutors, failed to present the case within the deadline stipulated by law, which is why the judge reached this conclusion.
Even if their stay in France is not formally authorized, these people are now free to travel as they like, according to the public prosecutor’s office in Bobigny. Tuesday saw their release, and five of them—who were minors—were given over to child welfare services.
These 25 people were among the 303 passengers who departed Dubai on a Legend Airlines flight. They had planned to fly to Nicaragua, but on December 21, their plane stopped at Vatry airport in northeastern France, which presented a problem. The jet was stopped for four days after receiving a tip from an unknown source.
Authorities dismissed the accusations against them once they established that the passengers had boarded the plane voluntarily and were not the victims of compulsion, despite their initial suspicions of being involved in human trafficking.
Nonetheless, the authorities are questioning two individuals who remained in France regarding their possible involvement in human trafficking.
