Hyderabad: Mohammad Sufiyan, a young man from Narayanpet district, has returned to India after being held captive by the Russian Army for eight months.
The 22-year-old was joined by three other young men from Karnataka, all of whom were misled by a fraudulent agent and unwittingly recruited into a private Russian army to fight in Ukraine.
They reported that at least 60 Indian youths have fallen victim to this job scam, with many still stranded abroad.
Sent out of India in December 2023
These individuals were sent out of India in December 2023, under the pretense of securing jobs as security personnel or helpers in Russia. However, their situation drastically changed upon arrival.
He arrived at Shamshabad Airport in Hyderabad, bringing relief to his family. The development comes seven months after a video of him pleading to be rescued from the war-hit Russia-Ukraine border surfaced.
Sufiyan was one of nine individuals who were misled by a Mumbai-based agent who promised them job opportunities abroad.
Unfortunately, during this ordeal, another youth from Hyderabad named Afridi lost his life.
According to Sufiyan, at least 60 Indian youths were deceived by a fraudulent agent, with many still stranded abroad after being promised jobs as security personnel or helpers in Russia.
‘Treated like slaves’
They were sent to Russia in December 2023, but upon arrival, their situation quickly worsened. Sufiyan described their treatment as akin to slavery, stating they were forced to work 15-hour shifts without breaks.
They were compelled to perform gruelling tasks, including digging trenches and operating weapons such as Kalashnikovs (AK-12 and AK-74) and grenades.
Tragically, not all of their group survived; Sufiyan recounted the death of his close friend Hamil, who was killed in a drone strike while part of a team of 24 soldiers, which included one Indian and one Nepali.
The shock of Hamil’s death prompted Sufiyan and the others to inform their families about their dire circumstances.
Their families then contacted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who assisted in their rescue from the conflict zone.
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