HYDERABAD: In his house in Hyderabad, Imran is surrounded by several letters addressed to the prime minister, the external affairs minister and the Telangana chief minister. His younger brother, Mohammed, is one of the Indian youths allegedly recruited to work as a “helper” to the Russian Army. The family, however, says that all of them found themselves in the middle of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking to TNIE, Imran said, “They were cheated with promises of a bright future.”
Imran lamented that he had not received any assurance despite multiple pleas to several authorities. According to Imran, an application addressed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was submitted at the Praja Darbar on January 29, in addition to two other letters to the CM. But there has been no response.
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on January 25. On its part, the MEA on Friday said that the ministry was working closely with the Indian Embassy to bring back citizens trapped in the frontline.
In Hyderabad, 30-year-old Mohammed was working as a manager in a clothing brand showroom. As per Imran, his brother was earning between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 per month.
Mohammed, who is married and has two children, was introduced to the job opportunity in Russia through Faisal Khan and his YouTube channel Baba Vlogs. “Faisal is based in Dubai and his aides Sufiyan and Pooja operate from Mumbai,” said Imran.
He added the group charged Rs 3 lakh per person. “My brother had to take a loan. He did not inform me and his wife until a few days before he left,” he added.
On November 12, 2023, Mohammed landed in Moscow via Sharjah along with two others from UP and J&K. As per Imran, the victims were promised a salary of Rs 45,000 for the first three months and more than Rs 1 lakh afterwards. They were promised Russian visas and nationality for them and their families after one year, he added. They were explicitly told that they would not be involved in the war.
Mohammed’s wife held up a photograph of her husband in military fatigues, as her one-year-old son and nine-months-old daughter surrounded her. “I last spoke to him on December 31 last year. He was scared for his life,” she told TNIE. The family was later informed by the man from Uttar Pradesh, who managed to escape to Moscow, that Mohammed suffered two bullet shots on his leg.
Imran said, “I hope the Indian government will bring back my brother the way they brought back eight Navy personnel.”
