CBI arrests 2 people for pushing Indians into Russia-Ukraine war zone; four held so far

The CBI arrested two people on May 7 for trafficking Indian nationals for combat roles in the Russian Army.

Though the CBI is yet to disclose the identity of the arrested, several media revealed their identities as Arun and Yesudas Junior, both residents of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The latest arrest follows an earlier operation on April 24, where two people were detained and sent to judicial custody in the case. Nijil Jobi Bensam is a resident of Kanyakumari, while Anthony Michael Elangovan is a resident of Mumbai.

According to the CBI, Bensam worked as a translator on a contract basis in the Russian defence ministry and was believed to be one of the key members of the network operating from there to facilitate the recruitment of Indian nationals in the Russian Army.

"These traffickers have been operating as an organized network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels like YouTube and also through their local contacts and agents for highly paid jobs in Russia," the CBI said in an official statement.

The officials said that it is likely that some more arrests could be made.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had busted a major racket of travel agents that was luring Indian youths with opportunities in Russia but pushed them in the Russia-Ukraine war zone after confiscating their passports, they said.

The central probe agency's FIR has listed 17 visa consultancy companies, their owners and agents spread across India, they said.

The agency has booked them under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and human trafficking.

The CBI has alleged that the accused persons through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting them jobs related to the Russian army, security guards and helpers, for a better life and education, and a huge amount was charged from them.

The agents also duped students by providing them admission to dubious private universities in Russia instead of government or public universities by offering discounted fees, and visa extensions. The students were ultimately left "at the mercy" of local agents, it said.

Once these aspirants reached Russia their passports were seized by the agents there and they were forced to join the armed forces after combat role training.

The CBI has found 35 instances in which youngsters were taken to Russia after being lured with false promises of high-paying jobs via social media channels and local contacts and agents.

(With PTI inputs)

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