Passengers From Gujrat Paid More Than $100K Each To Agents To Enter USA Illegally

Over 60 individuals from Gujarat who were on board the airplane bound for Nicaragua, returned from France due to suspected human trafficking. These passengers had allegedly agreed to pay immigration agents between ₹60 lakh to ₹80 lakh, who assured them assistance in illegally crossing into the United States upon reaching Nicaragua, officials revealed.

The Airbus A340 headed to Nicaragua, carrying 303 passengers, including 260 Indians, was held in France for four days on suspicions of human trafficking over a week ago. The plane eventually landed in Mumbai on December 26.

A senior official from the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) – Crime and Railways stated that among the passengers were 66 individuals from Gujarat, who have already returned to their respective hometowns in the state. Superintendent of Police, CID- Crime and Railways, Sanjay Kharat, leading the investigation, mentioned that these 66 individuals, including minors, primarily hailed from Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Anand districts.

Kharat explained, “We have interviewed 55 of them and documented their statements. Most admitted agreeing to pay ₹60 lakh to ₹80 lakh to local immigration agents to facilitate illegal entry into the US after reaching Nicaragua via Dubai.”

The CID has identified nearly 15 agents who promised to help these individuals enter the US illegally through the US-Mexico border. Kharat added, “These agents instructed them to pay the money upon reaching the US, assuring that their men would guide them from Nicaragua to the US border and facilitate the crossing. The agents also arranged air tickets for the passengers and provided USD 1,000 to 3,000 to each passenger for emergencies.”

Following the agents’ plan, the 66 passengers arrived in Dubai between December 10 and 20 from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. They then boarded a Nicaragua-bound private airline at Fujairah International Airport on December 21.

The CID has requested assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to gather more information about the agents, including details about the Dubai visa acquisition, bank information for visa fees, the process of obtaining Nicaraguan visas in Dubai, and who booked and paid for the flight tickets.

The chartered flight, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, en route to Nicaragua, landed at Vatry near Paris on December 21 for a technical stopover from Dubai, when French authorities intervened. A judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a focus on suspected human trafficking, has been initiated.

Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. In the fiscal year 2023, 96,917 Indians attempted illegal entry into the US, indicating a 51.61% increase from the previous year, according to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). CBP data reveals that 41,770 of these Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican land border.

Flights to Nicaragua or other countries with easy travel document acquisition have come to be known as ‘dunki’ flights.

Parvasi Media Group