A plane grounded in France for days over concerns it was part of a human trafficking scheme landed in India Tuesday, with its passengers avoiding media questions as they quickly exited bustling Mumbai airport.
The Airbus A340 initially had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained last Thursday at Vatry airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refuelling.
It had arrived from the United Arab Emirates and was halted after an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.
Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane that arrived in Mumbai before dawn on Tuesday.
Passengers began walking out onto the concourse four hours later but refused to speak to a large crowd of waiting journalists and covered their faces to shield their identities.
Indian passenger plane held in France takes off - most passengers to return to India
Accding to the Times of India, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is interrogating the Indian passengers who arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday morning days after French authorities grounded their flight over 'trafficking' concerns.
While some passengers were allowed to leave after interrogation by the CISF officials, others are still being questioned, according to the paper.
A charter plane, with 276 passengers on board, landed at Mumbai's Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport in the wee hours on Tuesday.
On leaving the airport after arriving from France, passengers tried their best to avoid queries from the waiting media.
25 people, including two minors, had expressed their wish to apply for asylum in France and two were held and placed on assisted witness status.
(With newswires)
