Editor's Pick | Detained Nicaragua flight returns to India, passengers interrogated

After being permitted to fly to India following four days of detention at the Vatry airport (France) over allegations of human trafficking, a Romania Legend Airlines flight – originally destined for Nicaragua, landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday. The flight landed around 3:30 a.m. with 15 crew members and 276 passengers. It took nearly five hours for most of the passengers to come out of the airport. This was after clearing rigorous phases of interrogation and verification by the authorities from the Immigration Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation. They were escorted out in small batches hiding their faces with masks, hoodies and handkerchiefs. It has been learnt until now that most of the passengers were from Punjab, some from Haryana and some from Gujarat. There were more male passengers. Passengers did not entertain questions from the press. They turned hostile when asked about their experience, reasons for their travel, if they knew each other, how they were kept during the interrogation period, and where they were from, to mention a few. Liliana Bakayoko, advocate of the lease and charter aircrafts provider Romanian Legend Airlines, informed that a “non-European” entity had facilitated the journey of 303 Indian citizens who were grounded at the Vatry airport. It was flying from Dubai to Nicaragua. The French authorities had got an “anonymous signal” about suspected human trafficking, she stated. The attorney further said that the French authorities had converted the airport into a tribunal and the passengers were summoned before a judge, following which they were allowed to return. She said that the investigation is currently underway in Paris about the flight and its purpose. Editorials Law of numbers: On the winter session and a low in India’s parliamentary democracy Legitimising revanchism: On the Gyanvapi case and the Allahabad High Court The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Said to be the world’s first of the kind, which country had a truth commission constituted to investigate and report on hundreds of disappearances that occurred during the country’s earlier regime? Iran Afghanistan Cuba Uganda To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 27 December 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Detained Nicaragua flight returns to India, passengers interrogated After being permitted to fly to India following four days of detention at the Vatry airport (France) over allegations of human trafficking, a Romania Legend Airlines flight – originally destined for Nicaragua, landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday. The flight landed around 3:30 a.m. with 15 crew members and 276 passengers. It took nearly five hours for most of the passengers to come out of the airport. This was after clearing rigorous phases of interrogation and verification by the authorities from the Immigration Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation. They were escorted out in small batches hiding their faces with masks, hoodies and handkerchiefs. It has been learnt until now that most of the passengers were from Punjab, some from Haryana and some from Gujarat. There were more male passengers. Passengers did not entertain questions from the press. They turned hostile when asked about their experience, reasons for their travel, if they knew each other, how they were kept during the interrogation period, and where they were from, to mention a few. Liliana Bakayoko, advocate of the lease and charter aircrafts provider Romanian Legend Airlines, informed that a “non-European” entity had facilitated the journey of 303 Indian citizens who were grounded at the Vatry airport. It was flying from Dubai to Nicaragua. The French authorities had got an “anonymous signal” about suspected human trafficking, she stated. The attorney further said that the French authorities had converted the airport into a tribunal and the passengers were summoned before a judge, following which they were allowed to return. She said that the investigation is currently underway in Paris about the flight and its purpose. Editorials [Arrow][Law of numbers: On the winter session and a low in India’s parliamentary democracy]( [Arrow][Legitimising revanchism: On the Gyanvapi case and the Allahabad High Court]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Said to be the world’s first of the kind, which country had a truth commission constituted to investigate and report on hundreds of disappearances that occurred during the country’s earlier regime? - Iran - Afghanistan - Cuba - Uganda To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here.]( [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[Israel Embassy blast | Two youths caught on CCTV, security beefed up in Delhi] Israel Embassy blast | Two youths caught on CCTV, security beefed up in Delhi]( [[Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to lead Bharat Nyay Yatra across 14 States] Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to lead Bharat Nyay Yatra across 14 States]( [[14 hospitalised in ammonia gas leak in Ennore, industrial unit shut down temporarily] 14 hospitalised in ammonia gas leak in Ennore, industrial unit shut down temporarily]( [[Suspicious object detected, destroyed on Srinagar-Baramulla road] Suspicious object detected, destroyed on Srinagar-Baramulla road]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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