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Nicaragua flight case: Gujarat cops still looking for mastermind ‘Pali’, 7 others

Feb 05, 2025 09:55 PM IST

The chartered flight, flying from Dubai to Nicaragua with 303 Indians was grounded during a technical halt at France’s Vatry Airport on December 21, 2023

Ahmedabad: The crime investigation department (CID) of the Gujarat Police is still looking for the mastermind of the December 2023 human trafficking case registered after 276 Indians on a chartered flight to Nicaragua were stopped in France and sent back to India.

The chartered flight was operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines. (Representative Image)
The chartered flight was operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines. (Representative Image)

The chartered flight operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines, flew from Dubai to Nicaragua with 303 Indians, including several unaccompanied minors, and was grounded during a technical halt at Vatry Airport near Paris on December 21, 2023, after French authorities received a tip-off about suspected human trafficking.

“Guru Amrut Pal Singh, alias Pali, originally from Jalandhar, Punjab, is suspected to have orchestrated the trafficking and illegally transported passengers to the United States,” said an investigating officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Investigators are also looking for seven other suspects who are missing.

“While 12 agents, including five from Gujarat, have been arrested, Pali remains at large. The Gujarat Police, which has issued a lookout notice for him, suspect he is hiding in the Middle East,” the officer said.

Police suspect Pali, reportedly a Canadian citizen, operated the trafficking network through agents from across India, particularly in Delhi and north Gujarat.

Those arrested so far include Kiran Patel, Raju, Chandresh Patel, Sam Paji, Bhargav Darji, Sandeep Patel, Jayesh Patel, Piyush Barot and Arpit alias Michel Zala, among others, added the officer.

“The FIR named 14 so-called immigration agents as accused, but the investigation revealed more names and look out circulars were issued against seven including a resident of Delhi, Joginder alias Jogi Paaji, who is a history sheeter; Joginder Mansaram from Delhi, and Salim Dubai, who resides in the UAE,” said the officer.

A FIR was lodged against the agents based on the statements of 66 passengers from Gujarat who were treated as witnesses.

According to the police investigation, the entire operation was valued at 300-325 crore. Passengers were charged between 70-80 lakh to over 1 crore, depending on promises made, like job guarantees and help in illegally crossing the US border.

The agents told passengers from Gujarat to pay only upon reaching the US, assuring them that their operatives would assist in reaching the US border from Nicaragua and help with crossing.

Investigations also revealed that the agents had arranged and booked air tickets for the passengers, providing $1,000 to $3,000 each for any emergency.

The passengers on board had travelled from India to Dubai on a visitor’s visa. After reaching Nicaragua, the passengers were to travel 2,000 kilometers by road in a bus to reach the Mexico border from where they would illegally enter the US. The passengers were told to seek asylum in the US once they arrived, with lawyers hired by the agents to help them navigate the process. However, French authorities thwarted the plan before the flight could reach its destination.

“The agents instructed migrants to intentionally get caught after crossing the border into the US. They were told to fabricate diverse stories to ensure detention,” the official stated.

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