Picture courtesy: (The wire/PTI) The CBI arrested four men for allegedly trafficking Indians to fight for Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war.
(The Post News)– India’s federal investigation agency arrested four men involved in a human trafficking network that is accused of luring young people to Russia with promises of high-paying jobs and university admissions, then forcing them to fight in Ukraine’s war.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently announced that two recruiters, Arun and Yesudas Junior, alias Priyan, were arrested in Kerala on Tuesday. The other accused, Nijil Jobi Bensam, a contractual employee in the Russian Defense Ministry, and Anthony Michael Elangovan, a resident of Mumbai, were arrested on April 24.
Nijil Jobi Bensam was working within the Russian Defense Ministry on a contract basis as an interpreter and was one of the key individuals in the organization working in Russia to encourage the recruitment of Indian nationals in the Russian Army.
The CBI statement said that Michael Anthony was helping his co-accused, Faisal Baba, based in Dubai, and others based in Russia get the visa processing done in Chennai and book airline tickets for victims to go to Russia.
Arun and Yesudas Junior, alias Priyan, arrested on Tuesday, were the main recruiters of Indian nationals belonging to Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the Russian Army.
The agency said that 35 men were tricked through this scheme in March. The arrests came two months after investigators arrested several people for questioning at 13 locations in India.
The CBI alleged that the suspects, through their agents, smuggled Indian nationals into Russia on the pretext of offering them jobs as security and helpers in the Russian military and providing them with a better life and education, with high rewards.
Agents also defrauded students by offering tuition discounts and visa extensions to enroll them in questionable private universities in Russia rather than state or public universities.
When the candidates arrived in Russia, their passports were confiscated by local officials, and, after combat training, they were forced to join the army.
“The trafficked Indian nationals 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,” the spokesperson said.
The families of two Indian men killed in the war say they went to Russia hoping to work as “helpers” for the army.
The CBI investigated 35 cases in which young people were lured to Russia by false promises of well-paid jobs through social media channels, local contacts, and agents.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all Russian cases were handled rigorously. The MEA had earlier said it was also working to ensure the release of about 20 Indian nationals from Russian forces.
The investigation continues against other suspects who are part of the international network of human traffickers, the CBI said.
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