Nicaragua flight: Modus operandi exposed, Indians waiting in Dubai advised to return, says travel agent in Punjab
After 276 Indians on board a Dubai-Nicaragua flight were deported, a travel agent in Punjab said that nearly 600 Indians were waiting in Dubai to catch similar flights and had now been asked to return to India.
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276 Indians aboard the chartered plane that remained grounded in Varty in France, arrived back to India on Wednesday (Express Photo by Pradip Das)The Legend Airlines flight that was headed to Nicaragua with 303 Indians aboard and was grounded in France on the suspicion of human trafficking was allegedly the third such flight to the Central American nation this year, a travel agent from Punjab alleged. Nearly 600 Indians are waiting in Dubai to catch similar flights, the agent added.
The Legend Airlines flight had departed from Dubai on December 22. Later, 276 passengers on this flight were deported to India.
“The flight had only stopped at the France airport for fuel refill. Somehow, information leaked that it was a ‘donkey flight’. An inquiry was conducted. There were over 300 passengers, including 12 minors. Eleven sought asylum in France. Two passengers had fake passports. Excluding asylum seekers and those with fake passports, all passengers returned to India,” the agent told The Indian Express.
‘Donkey flights’ are used to help illegal immigrants gain a backdoor entry into the country of their choice. “Two flights had landed similarly. It seems some agents leaked the information about the modus operandi to attract more youths to use this route to earn more money,” the agent said.
According to the agent, more Indians are waiting in Dubai to catch similar flights. “Now that the modus operandi has been exposed, agents have asked them to return to India. According to my information, 500 to 600 immigrants are in Dubai. The same formula cannot be repeated so till the agents come up with something new, these youths have been asked to return,” said the agent.
‘Donkey charges’ range from Rs 40 lakh to 45 lakh but not all the money is paid in advance. A major sum is paid when the immigrant reaches the US border.
According to the agent, once the plane landed in Nicaragua, arrangements would have been made for on-arrival visas. The immigrants would then start the next part of their journey to reach the US border.
A look at the break-up of passengers on the flight.
The agent claimed that earlier, illegal immigrants were sent on direct flights from India to El Salvador. But after the El Salvador authorities imposed a heavy fee of $1,000 on such immigrants for landing in their country, the flights stopped.
Why Nicaragua and El Salvador
Landing in countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador allows immigrants to avoid the Darién Gap, a dangerous forested pathway between Colombia and Panama where many immigrants die due to the tough journey and criminals. Direct flights to such countries increase the possibility of immigrants reaching the US border safely.
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