Multiple Indian nationals have claimed their family members were duped by foreign recruiters in Russia and forced to join the Wagner Group, a controversial private military company.22-year-old Mohammed Sufiyan from Telangana and three others from Karnatakas Kalaburagi sent distress messages to their families about being stranded in Russia and compelled to fight in the war against Ukraine.In a video sent to his family, Sufiyan appeared in army fatigues and said they were victims of recruitment fraud. The men were allegedly promised jobs as security helpers in Russia by recruiters who sent them there in December. Instead, they were forced into the war effort. Please save us, we are victims of a hi-tech fraud, Sufiyan pleaded in the video.The four Indians met recruitment agents during a 2023 Dubai visit who offered lucrative salaries. After returning to India in November, they were flown to Russia in December on visitor visas with the promise of over ₹2 lakh monthly pay as army security helpers. Families reportedly paid ₹3.5 lakh in security deposits to the recruiters.Families were shocked to learn the men were on the frontlines, likely hired by the Wagner Group to fight for Russia against Ukraine. The Wagner Group is a controversial private military company funded by the Russian government.Per reports, around 60 other Indians have also been forcibly drafted into Russias private army amid the Ukraine war. The duped youth were allegedly posted just 40 km from Ukraine and used a Russian soldiers phone to message their families.The recruitment scam was allegedly orchestrated by a Maharashtra man running a YouTube channel offering security helper jobs in Russia. Indian authorities are investigating the distressing situation as more sinister details emerge.
