New Delhi
Four men, including a translator, were arrested for trafficking Indian nationals to Russia under the pretense of offering them lucrative jobs, but instead, sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone, a CBI official said on Wednesday. Arun and Yesudas Junior, both from Trivandrum, Kerala, were arrested on Tuesday. Two others, Nijil Jobi Bensam from Kanyakumari and Anthony Michael Elangovan from Mumbai, were taken into custody on April 24.
A senior Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official explained that on March 6, the agency busted a human trafficking ring that targeted unsuspecting youths with promises of high-paying jobs abroad. This network used social media platforms like YouTube to lure victims, eventually deploying them to combat zones in Russia and Ukraine against their will.
The CBI stated that some victims suffered serious injuries in the war zone. A case was registered against private visa consultancy firms and agents involved in trafficking Indian nationals to Russia. The network spans several Indian states and operates internationally.
Nijil Jobi Bensam, who worked in Russia as a translator, helped recruit Indian nationals for the Russian Army. Anthony Michael arranged visas and air tickets to Russia for the victims. Arun and Yesudas were key recruiters from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The investigation is ongoing to identify other members of this trafficking network.
