In a recent incident involving a flight to Nicaragua that landed in Mumbai, things got pretty fishy. Apparently, there’s a secret plan where people from India, especially Punjab and Gujarat, take off to other countries, never to return. They claim asylum there, saying it’s because of religious issues.
Out of the 303 folks on the flight, mostly from Punjab and Gujarat, 276 were sent back to India. Surprisingly, 25 of them asked for asylum in France, saying they’re facing religious persecution.
The plane, operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines, had to stop in France at Chalons-Vatry airport. While there, French authorities got an email suggesting human trafficking was involved. So, they got permission to unload passengers and ended up detaining two people without passports.
The local judge decided these passengers were more like “victims” and said they should go back home, as per intel sources.
Interesting twist: the Indian passengers weren’t forced to go to Nicaragua. They apparently “chose” to go there as tourists. But here’s the catch – to visit Nicaragua from India, you usually need a visa for business or tourism.
These travelers were told that the money they paid would help them cross Nicaragua and eventually reach the US, according to intel sources. Legend Airlines, the one that flew them from the UAE, says they did nothing wrong and even claims some passengers had return tickets and hotel bookings.
Now, Indian intelligence is checking if there’s a bigger plan involving people from Punjab and Gujarat. They suspect these folks travel as tourists but stay away, seeking asylum because of “religious persecution.”
They’re also looking into NGOs’ roles in this whole thing. Intel sources spill the beans that similar cases involving Indian passengers have happened before, with three to four flights making it to Nicaragua. And guess what? Most of these passengers are around their thirties.