India said it had busted a “major human trafficking network” which lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them to fight in the war in Ukraine.
About 35 people have been sent to Russia in the scheme so far, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said late on Thursday, almost double the figure of 20 people that the Indian foreign ministry had earlier mentioned. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
This comes as two Indians, from Telangana and Gujarat, were killed in Russia while fighting the war with Ukraine. Also, an appeal by a group of Indians, to the government, urging it to bring them back safely from Russia, had gone viral on social media.
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What Really Happened
The probe agency has revealed the network, spread to multiple states across the country, meticulously orchestrated schemes for vulnerable Indian nationals. At least two men who went to Russia expecting to work as “helpers” in the army have died while fighting at the front.
Revealing the modus operandi, the CBI said the group used to promise lucrative opportunities abroad, particularly in Russia. They targeted vulnerable people through various channels, including visa consultancy firms and agents, and enticed them with false promises of high-paying jobs in the Russian Army, security sectors, or educational institutions.
Once ensnared, the victims were coerced into paying exorbitant fees for visa processing, travel arrangements, and other administrative expenses. Upon arrival in Russia, the victims found themselves at the mercy of their traffickers, who confiscated their passports and subjected them to coercive measures.
They were then forced to undergo training for combat roles, including donning Russian military uniforms and badges. Also, they were manipulated into believing that these roles would offer them a pathway to financial stability and success. Later, the victims were deployed to front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their will.
WHAT THE CBI REVEALED
Commenting on the network, the probe agency said, “These traffickers have been operating as an organised network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube, and their local contacts/agents for highly paid jobs in Russia.”
“Thereafter, the trafficked Indians were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes, thus, putting their lives in grave danger. It has been ascertained that some of the victims also got grievously injured in the war zone,” a spokesperson for the CBI said.
Probe Against the Act
On March 6, the probe agency had registered a case of human trafficking, accusing some private visa consultancy firms and agents of sending Indians to Russia under the guise of better employment and high-paying jobs.
Searches were also conducted at around 13 locations in Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai, and Chennai, following which, cash amounting to over Rs 50 lakh, along with some incriminating documents and electronic records like laptops, mobiles, desktops, CCTV footage, etc. were seized.
The CBI has confirmed that so far, nearly 35 Indians have been sent abroad on the pretext of a job offer, while the investigation agency was trying to identify more suspects in the case. The agency also suspected the involvement of a Delhi-based consultancy, which allegedly recently sent over 180 Indians on student visas.
Whether these students were also deployed in the war zone areas in Russia was being investigated. Meanwhile, the agency appealed to the public to not fall prey to such promises of jobs, specifically in Russia.
Some of the conspirators in the case were identified as Tanu Kant Sharma, Srividhya, Rakesh Pandey, Manjeet Singh, Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan, and Mohammad Sufiyan Dawood Ahmad Darugar. Thousands of people have died on both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022 in what Moscow termed a “special military operation”
New Delhi and Moscow have enjoyed a close relationship for decades and India has refused to condemn Russia over the war with Ukraine, urging the two sides to end the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
