Flight carrying 12 Indian deportees from US lands in Delhi: Report

A flight carrying 12 Indians who had been deported to Panama from the United States arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday.

Of the 12, four people are from Punjab, NDTV reported, citing unidentified officials.

The flight marks the first batch of Indians to be deported from the Central American country, according to India Today.

About 50 out of 300 people deported from the United States and kept in a hotel in Panama, are Indian nationals.

Panama and Costa Rica are among the Central American countries that are collaborating with the US to repatriate deported migrants.

The US is sending undocumented migrants from several Asian countries, who have refused to return home or whose governments have refused to accept them, to the Central American nations.

The agreement between Panama and the United States was announced earlier this month after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit. The US bears all the costs of the operation.

Earlier on Wednesday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government is verifying details like whether those deported to the region comprise Indians.

The Indian government has assured that it will provide necessary assistance to its nationals who are being deported.

"We are verifying the details of whether the individuals concerned are Indian nationals or not. Once that verification details are complete, then arrangements will be made for them," Jaiswal said.

Over 300 Indian migrants have been deported by the United States in three flights that landed in Amritsar on February 5, 15 and 16.

Opposition parties protested the treatment meted out to the deportees, including them being shackled, and asked the Indian government to take up the issue with the US.