Hyderabad: A man from Telangana’s Kamareddy district who went to Russia on the promise of an oil industry job and was allegedly posted on the Russia-Ukraine border with the army, is feared dead.
Mohammed Afzal Khan, 43, a native of Banswada, left for Russia on February 15 after an agent promised him work in the oil industry. His family has asked the Indian Embassy in Moscow for information on his whereabouts and wellbeing. If his death is confirmed, they want the embassy to help bring his body home.
The news came through Sirshu Ashok, a native of Nizamabad, who also went to Russia on the promise of a job. According to a Deccan Chronicle report, Ashok sent his wife a voice message claiming that Khan had been killed last week while fighting near the border.
Neither the Russian authorities nor the Indian Embassy has confirmed his death.
Both men had gone to Russia for oil industry jobs but were reportedly assigned military duties at the border. The families of two others, Bhukya Ravinder and Meghawat Prakash, are also seeking their return. They have appealed to the Centre to arrange their repatriation.
In late September, the families of the four submitted a representation at the state’s Pravasi Prajavani grievance forum in Hyderabad. Officials there said the matter would be taken up with the NRI department, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the embassy.
From oil job to frontline
Afzal’s brother Amjath told Siasat.com that Afzal worked in the oil industry for five months after reaching Russia.
“In July, the agent said that the contract had ended and my brother lost his job,” he said.
Afzal had spent Rs 2 lakh to get to Russia and could not earn it back while working in the oil industry, Amjath said.
“After losing the job, my brother came across an advertisement offering a gardening and housekeeping job worth Rs 2 lakh a month with the Russian military,” he said. An agent from Telangana helped Afzal get the job, he added.
“On September 24, Afzal sent us a voice note saying that he, along with three others, was being shifted to the border and cried for help. He said if they are taken to the border, there is no chance of return,” Amjath said.
We want evidence: Victim’s brother
Amjath said he contacted Ashok’s wife in Nizamabad and got hold of the voice note claiming Afzal was dead.
“If my brother is no more, we want to see some evidence, a photo or video, to get closure. If he is alive, we urge the government to repatriate him to Kamareddy at the earliest,” he said.
The embassy has not yet given the family any confirmation of Khan’s whereabouts, he said. The family has also sought an inquiry into the agents who sent the men to Russia.
