NEW DELHI : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly taken up with the Russian government the human trafficking syndicate issue and initiated action against agents who recruited Indian nationals as support staff of the Russian Army on false promises.
Two Indian nationals have died while many others remain in Russia, duped by agents in lure of jobs which turned out to be support staff of the Russian army. “Several Indian nationals have been duped to work with the Russian Army. We have taken up the matter with the Russian government for early discharge of such Indian nationals,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
Meanwhile, a day after busting the human trafficking syndicate, the CBI has put under its scanner two Russia-based agents who were involved in transporting gullible Indian youth to that country and pushing them into the Ukraine war zone, officials said.
According to CBI officials, the agents based in Russia allegedly confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in that country. They forced them to join the Russia-Ukraine war in combat roles. A senior CBI official said, “Christina and Moinuddin Chippa, an Indian national, are based in Russia and were facilitating the trafficking of Indian youth to that country by offering them lucrative job opportunities there.”
On Thursday, the CBI registered an FIR concerning the case as the agency has listed 17 Visa consultancy companies, their owners and agents spread across India. All the accused have been booked under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and human trafficking.
It has alleged that the accused, through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting jobs related to the Russian Army, helpers, better life, and education and a vast amount was charged from these people illegally.