Human-trafficking case: Four Air India SATS (AISATS) staff members and an Indian passenger, about to board a flight to the UK, were arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) on Wednesday in an alleged human trafficking racket. The passenger, Diljot Singh’s travel documents seemed dubious to the immigration officials who denied him boarding.
The accused were arrested by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. The immigration officials directed Singh to clarify the matter with the airline personnel. However, instead of approaching the airline staff, Singh sought assistance from AISATS staffer, leading to heightened scrutiny.
The CISF were alarmed by the suspicious behaviour and initiated an operation in collaboration with the Delhi Airport Authority. Upon investigation, they found that AISATS staffers at the check-in counter allowed Singh and two others to board the flight with ‘wrong or invalid’ documents.
Rohan Verma, Mohammad Jahangir, Yash, and Akshay Narang have been identified as the AISATS staff, who were handed over to the Delhi Police, along with Singh.
AISATS CEO Sanjay Gupta stated that the company played an integral role in thwarting the human trafficking attempt in collaboration with Delhi Airport Authority and CISF.
“Three individuals attempted to illegally migrate, and one of them was apprehended during the operation. Subsequently, the staff involved in supporting the illegal activities were suspended from services and promptly handed over to the Delhi Police for further legal action,” said Gupta in a statement.
These arrests come amid another case where a Nicaragua flight with 303 passengers, mostly Indian, was grounded in France over suspicions of human trafficking. The flight was allowed to leave after being detained for four days. The flight landed in Mumbai on Tuesday. The Anti-Human Trafficking Cell, along with Mumbai Police, has now taken up the investigation into the grounded plane. CISF has been asked to provide details of the interrogation that was conducted after the plane landed in Mumbai.
Also read: Grounding of plane in France: 27 Indians seeking asylum freed; Anti-Human Trafficking Cell to probe