Mumbai: In Mumbai, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended four individuals allegedly involved in the trafficking of Indian nationals who were subsequently deployed to fight in the Russian army amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to officials familiar with the case. On Tuesday, two purported recruiters, Arun and Yesudas Junior (also known as Priyan), were detained in Trivandrum, Kerala. The other two accused recruiters, Anthony Michael Elangovan and Nijli Jobi Bensam, were arrested on April 24 in Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, respectively, as per the mentioned officials. Elangovan purportedly aided a co-conspirator, Faisal Baba, based in Dubai, UAE, and others in Russia by facilitating visa processing in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and arranging air travel for the victims. Bensam, one of the arrested suspects, allegedly worked in Russia as a translator on a contractual basis and played a significant role in recruiting Indian nationals into the Russian army. Elangovan and Bensam are presently in judicial custody. Arun and Priyan are accused of being the primary recruiters of individuals from Kerala and Tamil Nadu for combat positions within the Russian army. Numerous Indians have claimed in recent months that they were coerced into joining the Russian army under false pretenses of employment opportunities. On March 3, the CBI initiated a case regarding the human trafficking racket, alleging that a nationwide network was enticing youngsters with promises of lucrative overseas jobs. Following a nationwide crackdown launched in March to apprehend the alleged recruiters, the agency dismantled a significant human trafficking network responsible for sending Indians to Russia, particularly after two Indian casualties occurred on the battlefield. The agency identified 35 such cases and detained several individuals for questioning, seizing over Rs.50 lakh, incriminating documents, and electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones, and desktop computers.
Additionally, cases were filed against various visa consultancy firms and agents for misleading young Indians with promises of well-paid positions in Russia. According to officials, these traffickers operated as an organized network, enticing Indian nationals through social media platforms, including YouTube, and local contacts and agents, offering supposed high-paying positions in Russia. Subsequently, the trafficked individuals were reportedly trained for combat roles and stationed at front line bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone in Europe against their will, endangering their lives, according to agency sources.
