In a shocking revelation, a recent incident involving a grounded charter flight in France has brought to light an alleged human trafficking operation masterminded by Shashi Kiran Reddy
Shashi Kiran Reddy is a Hyderabad-based individual who has been under scrutiny in connection with the 2022 Dingucha case.
Who is Shashi Kiran Reddy alleged mastermind of France Nicaragua to Dubai flight human trafficking operation
In the 2022 Dingucha case, a family tragically lost their lives attempting to enter the United States. Now, Reddy is suspected of orchestrating a sophisticated network that uses chartered flights from Dubai to Nicaragua as a gateway for illegal immigration into the United States.
Reddy is accused of sending about 800 illegal Indian immigrants to Nicaragua, posing them as tourists, in the last two months. “Earlier, he sent them on 50-seater flights that halted at Vatry airport, however, recently, French authorities refused to allow one such flight to halt at Vatry airport and it returned to Dubai. So, Reddy arranged for an aircraft with 300 passengers, assuming it will be allowed to halt and refuel,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.
Reddy, who was let off by Gujarat police for lack of evidence in the 2022 Dingucha case, was found to have been working with the victim Jagdish Patel’s brother Mahendra aka Mahendra Dingucha.
Three people, who the Gujarat police said were “illegal immigration” agents, were arrested in the case by January this year and these included Bhavesh Patel, 30, Yogesh Patel, 42, and 47-year-old Bharat alias Bobby Patel.
TOI: Shashi Kiran Reddy, Human Trafficking Kingpin, is suspected to be the mastermind behind the Dubai-Nicaragua flight with 303 Indians stranded in France due to suspicions of human trafficking
Mahendra Dingucha working with Reddy sent thousands from Gujarat to the US illegally pic.twitter.com/r7It8vhaSi
— 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒚𝒂🛡 (@catale7a) December 25, 2023
The recent incident involved an Airbus A340 operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, bound for Nicaragua from Dubai. The flight, carrying 303 Indian passengers made a technical stopover in Vatry, France where suspicions of human trafficking arose.
French authorities intervened, initiating a judicial investigation into the purpose and conditions of the trip, leading to the grounding of the aircraft for four days.
Shashi Kiran Reddy’s involvement
The name of Shashi Kiran Reddy surfaced in connection with the Dingucha case where a family perished attempting to enter the US. He was reportedly the kingpin of this operation but was let off by Gujarat police due to insufficient evidence. Now, he stands accused of running a human smuggling network for the past 15 years, organizing chartered flights to Nicaragua, a crucial transit point for individuals seeking to enter the US illegally.
Reddy’s alleged operation involves arranging chartered flights from Dubai to Nicaragua from where people are transported illicitly to the US via road and sea. Recent revelations suggest that eight to ten Nicaragua-bound sorties have been made in the last two months, aiding around 800 Indians attempting illegal entry into the US. The flights are colloquially referred to as ‘donkey flights,’ facilitating travel to third countries with lax travel document requirements.
Nicaragua has emerged as a preferred destination for those seeking asylum in the US due to its perceived ease of obtaining travel documents. This trend is reflected in the data released by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), revealing a significant increase in the number of Indians attempting illegal entry into the US through the Mexican border.
In the financial year 2023, 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally, marking a 51.61% increase compared to the previous year. Of these attempts, 41,770 Indians tried to enter the US via the Mexican border. The surge in illegal immigration attempts underscores the growing challenges faced by authorities in curbing these activities.