Ukraine war: Efforts on to bring three Kerala men stranded in Russia, says Centre

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Mar 21, 2024, 2:54 PM IST

Three young men from Kerala's Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram are stranded in Russia after being lured with an agent's promise of a job. The Centre is reportedly making all efforts to bring them back to India.

Three young men from Thiruvananthapuram's Anchuthengu are stranded in war-torn Russia after being lured with the promise of a lucrative job in the Russian army and then being allegedly forced to fight in the ongoing conflict there. According to reports, Prince, one among the three was seriously injured in the war and he said that all the passports and visas are in the custody of the Russian Army. He is undergoing treatment in Moscow.

In January, Prince, Tinu and Vineeth went to Russia through an agent named Priyan, a native of Thumba for security work. Each of them paid an amount of Rs 7 lakh to the agent.

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Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that all efforts are being made to bring them back.

The families of the three men claim that they were lured to Russia by a recruitment agency with promises of a lucrative salary of Rs 2.5 lakh. Upon arrival, their passports and mobile phones were confiscated.

Thereafter, they were made to fight for the Russian forces in Ukraine, they alleged. Muraleedharan stated that the Indian government has been aware of the issue and is engaged in discussions with Russia to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to come back. The Union Minister further emphasized that many individuals who traveled to Russia did not follow proper or official channels but were lured by fraudulent recruitment agencies.

Meanwhile, the CBI is currently investigating the case of illegal recruitment to Russia. The accused in the case include three people who run a recruitment firm.

Muraleedharan said according to information the Central government has received, four people from Kerala were stranded there and steps were being taken to bring them back.

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