Human Trafficking: Who Is Shashi Kiran Reddy, The Suspected Kingpin Behind The Nicaragua Flight?

As the investigation into the 'donkey flight' from Dubai to Nicaragua which had 303 Indians on board continues, authorities believe that they have identified the kingpin behind the human trafficking network.

Authorities suspect that Shashi Kiran Reddy, a Hyderabad-based man who has been linked to human trafficking cases in the past could be the mastermind of the failed attempt to smuggle some 303 people including minors to the US.

AP

Reddy's Gujarat connection

Reddy is also the suspected kingpin of the 2022 human trafficking case in which a four-member family from Dingucha, Gujarat froze to death while attempting to enter the US from the Canada border, illegally.

Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali and their two children Dharmik and Vihangi were a part of an 11-member group from India, who were trying to enter the US illegally. While the seven others made it across the border, on a vehicle arranged by the traffickers, the Patel family was left behind and died in the freezing cold of -35 degrees some 123 km away from the US border.

BCCL

Only after the group that made it across the US border was caught by the Police, they were informed about the family that was left behind, but it was too late for them.

Reddy was investigated for the case by Gujarat Police but released due to lack of evidence.

One-third of passengers were from Gujarat

At least 96 people on the Dubai-Nicaragua flight are said to be from Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana and Anand districts in Gujarat.

A total of 303 passengers had originally boarded the Legend Airlines A340 plane last week in Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates for a flight to Managua, Nicaragua. When the plane stopped at France's Vatry Airport for refueling, it was grounded by the authorities based on an anonymous tip-off about human trafficking.

AFP

Legend Airlines which has denied any role in possible human trafficking, has so far not revealed the name of the client who booked its flight.

Illegal immigration through Nicaragua

In recent times, Nicaragua has emerged as a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

As per data released by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in the financial year 2023, which was 51.61% compared to the previous year.

The data shows that as many as 41,770 Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican border.

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