The men are believed to be fighting for the Wagner Group, a mercenary organisation. (File)
Sent to Russia on the pretext of getting good salaries as security guards or labourers, at least 10 young men from various parts of India are now being forced to risk their lives and fight a war for a country they owe no allegiance to. Not only were the men duped in terms of the job that they were signing up for, but the agent who sent them to Russia also managed to extract Rs 3 lakh from each of them.
The men - who are believed to be fighting Ukraine as part of the mercenary organisation, Wagner Group - and their families have now appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to help them return to India. A similar appeal has been made by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and a Karnataka minister has said the state government will talk to the MEA about getting the men back.
Family members of the youngsters said on Thursday that one of them, Syed Ilyas from Hyderabad, had sent a video from Russia telling his parents that he and several others had been cheated by the agent. In the video, Mr Ilyas said he had not signed up to fight the war and pleaded with his family to be brought back to India.
The father of one of the young men said at least 10-12 Indians - from Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and other states - have been duped this way and one of them, who is from Kashmir, was injured after he suffered a bullet injury to his leg.
"My son, Abdul Naeem, and three of his friends used to work in Dubai. They got in touch with an agent called Baba who promised them high-paying security jobs in Russia and took Rs 3 lakh each from them. They were brought back to India and then sent to Russia on December 16. They were told to sign an agreement in Russian, but they refused, and relented only when the agent told them it was safe and about their security guard jobs," Mr Naeem's father said in Hindi.
"At least 10-12 young men have been duped this way. My son and all the others want to come back. We have no complaints with the Russian government or their army, we are requesting them to send our sons back. We are also appealing to the Indian government to ensure their safe return," he said.
The father added that he is in touch with his son, who is now being kept apart from his three friends. "They are being taken in planes to places far away. A man from Kashmir has also suffered a bullet injury to his leg," he said.
Injured During Fighting
A family from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh is also undergoing a similar ordeal after being cheated by the same agent. A young man was taken to Russia and promised a job as a labourer, but ended up fighting the Ukrainian army for over two months. He has finally managed to contact his family from a hospital after he was injured in the fighting.
Requesting anonymity, the man's father said the agent, Baba, ran a YouTube channel called 'Baba Vlogs' and cheated people by promising them high-paying jobs in Russia. After the man was offered a job as a helper, the family took a loan to pay a sum of Rs 3 lakh that was demanded by the agent.
"My son was taken to Moscow on November 11, 2023, along with two young men from Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir. He was asked to sign up to fight the war and, when he refused, his passport and visa were taken away and he was made to sign an agreement in Russian," the father said.
"We didn't hear from him for over two months and then he called to say he has been injured. We haven't been able to get in touch with him since. I am begging the central government to get him back. I had taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh to send him to Russia," he said, adding that he has also sent a letter to the police in Kasganj.
'Will Talk To MEA'
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said, "The district administration has alerted the state government and the MEA. We will talk to the MEA and do our best to bring back the young men. Not only the men from Karnataka, but everyone who has been duped into waging this war."
On Wednesday, Mr Owaisi said he had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar and sought his help in getting the young men back to India. The MP has said at least a dozen Indians, including three from Telangana, had been duped by the agent and forced to take part in the war.