Srinagar:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recorded the statements of the members of the family of Azad Yousuf Kumar, a Kashmiri man who was allegedly unwittingly thrust into the Russia-Ukraine battle after being deceived.

The company recorded their statements just lately after submitting an FIR in opposition to 19 folks and visa consultancy companies linked to the exploitation of Indian youth.

Azad’s elder brother Sajad Ahmed Kumar instructed PTI that the CBI questioned him about his brother’s state of affairs and wished his presence at their New Delhi workplace. Nevertheless, he was unable to conform as a result of present monetary circumstances.

Sajad additionally stated the households of 12 different affected Indian males have been contacted by the CBI they usually emphasised their need for the secure return of their family members.

The CBI had on March 8 dismantled a human trafficking community funnelling Indian people into the warfare zone and recognized key facilitators, together with brokers primarily based in Russia.

These brokers’ allegedly enticed Indian youths with promising job gives in Russia, solely to coerce them into army involvement within the battle.

Azad, a 31-year-old engineering graduate from Pulwama, initially sought job alternatives in Dubai however was misled by false guarantees, finally discovering himself embroiled within the warfare as a mercenary for the Russian military.

His household narrated his perilous state of affairs on the Ukraine border and implored the federal government to intervene for his secure return.

Based on the household, Azad left for Dubai on December 14 final 12 months in quest of an honest job after being lured by a YouTuber, Faisal Khan. However little did the younger man know that he can be combating a warfare.

“He was promised a job in Dubai by the YouTuber. Nevertheless, he ended up being a mercenary for the Russian military,” the household stated, urging the central authorities to step in and rescue him from the warfare he by no means desired to combat.

“He’s proper now on the Ukraine border. We spoke to him a number of days in the past and he instructed us that his life is at risk. He was forcibly instructed to signal a contract which was in Russian language and that is how he landed up on the Russia-Ukraine border. Then he was despatched to the frontline with different Indians,” Sajad stated.

He stated Azad manages to name the household throughout night time for 2 to a few minutes. “They’re setting up bunkers within the forests proper now. They’ve moved farther from Black Sea. They occupy the areas after which make bunkers there,” he stated, quoting his brother.

He stated Azad was given a 15-day-long army coaching throughout which he was hit by a bullet and wanted to be hospitalised for 2 weeks. “He has a two-and-a-half-month-old son whom he has not even met to this point.” Sajad stated he was instructed by the brokers that Azad shall be given a job as a kitchen helper however he was despatched with the Russian Military to combat the warfare.

Regardless of Indian authorities’ efforts to have interaction the Russian authorities and supply requisite documentation, little progress has been made in the direction of their return. Azad’s household expressed deep concern about his well-being, highlighting the hazards he faces every day in unfamiliar territory.

The CBI’s investigation uncovered an internet of deceit the place people have been trafficked underneath false pretenses, manipulated into fight roles, and left stranded with out recourse. The company emphasised the grave dangers confronted by these people, forcibly thrust into the battle zone in opposition to their will.

Because the Russia-Ukraine warfare continues to assert lives and displace thousands and thousands, Azad’s story sheds mild on the harrowing actuality confronted by many unwitting victims caught within the crossfire of geopolitical conflicts. 

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)