Hyderabad, India

Relatives of four Indian nationals have claimed that foreign recruiters in Russia duped their family members into joining the Wagner Group, which is a private military company and was earlier involved in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. 

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22-year-old Mohammed Sufiyan, who belongs to the Indian state of Telangana, along with three other Indians hailing from Karnataka's Kalaburagi sent an SOS to their families after they were stranded in Russia and forced to join the Russian army in the fight against Ukraine, reported The Times Of India.

A video was sent by Sufiyan to his family in which he was seen in army fatigue and claimed that they had been a victim of recruitment fraud. 

He added that the recruiters had sent them to Russia on December 23 after promising them jobs as security helpers, however, they were forced into fighting the Russia-Ukraine war against their will.

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In the video, Sufiyan was heard saying, “Please save us, we are victims of a hi-tech fraud.”

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How did Indians land in the trap?

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While visiting Dubai in 2023, the four Indians met with the recruitment agents, who offered them heavy salaried jobs. 

In November, they came back to India and were sent back to Russia after a month. 

The Indians had boarded a flight from Chennai to Russia on a visitor's visa. 

The Indian youths were offered a salary of more than Rs 2 lakh ($24,118.74) per month for the job of army security helpers in Russia, according to The Times Of India.

A family member claimed that the recruiters had given them Rs 3.5 lakh ($4,220.77) as a security amount. 

Apart from these four Indian nationals, another 60 Indians were forcibly drafted into the private army of Russia during the Ukraine war, according to the report. 

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According to the report, they have reportedly been posted only 40 km from the Ukraine border, and they sent a message to their families after borrowing the mobile phone of a Russian army man.

"When my brother Sufiyan spoke with me 15 days ago, he said they were just 40km from the Ukraine border. He said they were sent there much against their will. He said they have been deceived," said 31-year-old Syed Salman, while speaking to The Times Of India. 

"When my brother got one rare opportunity, he made use of a mobile phone belonging to a Russian army man and sent us a message. He begged that he and others should be helped to return to India at any cost," he added.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)