4 Indians duped, forced to join Wagner army, say kin

Mohammed Sufiyan, a 22-year-old man hailing from Telangana, along with three others from Karnataka's Kalaburagi have sent an SOS to their families about being stranded in Russia and forced to join the army to fight the war against Ukraine, reported TOI.

Sufiyan sent a video to his family where he was seen in army fatigue and said they were a victim of recruitment fraud. He said that they were sent to Russia on December 23 by recruiters who promised them a job as security helpers, but were forced into fighting the war.

Sufiyan could be heard saying in the video, “Please save us, we are victims of a hi-tech fraud.”

The four Indians met with recruitment agents during their visit to Dubai in 2023, where they were promised heavy salaries. They returned to India in November and were sent to Russia a month later. They boarded a flight to Russia from Chennai on a visitor's visa.