Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two persons – Arun and Yesudas Junior alias Priyan – in connection with a human trafficking case. The victims were tricked and trafficked to Russia and were reportedly made to participate in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The CBI had busted a major human trafficking network running across the country, targeting youths with promises of lucrative jobs abroad. These traffickers allegedly operated as an organized network, luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube and local contacts/agents for highly paid jobs in Russia.
Thereafter, the trafficked Indian nationals were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes, putting their lives in grave danger, claimed the CBI. Some victims also sustained grievous injuries in the war zone.
A case of human trafficking was registered against private Visa Consultancy Firms and agents involved in trafficking Indian nationals to Russia under the guise of better employment and high-paying jobs. The human trafficking network of these agents spans several states across the country and beyond.
CBI officials maintained that the accused Nijil Jobi Bensam was working in Russia on a contract basis as a Translator and was a key member of the network operating in Russia, facilitating the recruitment of Indian nationals into the Russian Army.
Michael Anthony facilitated his co-accused Faisal Baba, based in Dubai, and others based in Russia in processing visas in Chennai and booking air tickets for victims traveling to Russia, said the police. Accused Arun and Yesudas were the main recruiters of Indian nationals belonging to Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the Russian Army.
Investigation is continuing against other accused persons who are part of this international network of human traffickers. A youth from Hyderabad, who was drafted into the Russian Army under the pretext of a job, was earlier killed in the war with Ukraine.
Mohd Afsan, a 30-year-old who fell victim to the job scam, was deceived into traveling to Moscow in December last year under the promise of a helper role. However, upon his arrival, he was forcefully drafted into the Russian Army and deployed to the Ukraine border.
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