The last contact with Mandeep, in March, showed him in army uniform pleading for rescue and fearing for his life under Russian command, the family said.
Apparently tricked by unscrupulous travel agents, one more Indian (from Goraya in Jalandhar district) has allegedly been forced into Russian army.
According to the family of the alleged victim, Mandeep Kumar, he was tricked by travel agents who promised passage to Italy but diverted him to Moscow, where he was coerced into military service.
Jagdeep Kumar – the brother of Mandeep Kumar – said, “My brother has a congenital limb (left leg) defect. Mandeep and his friends were misled into travelling to Italy via Armenia but they ended up in Russia instead. They were exploited and threatened by agents demanding more money.”
The last contact with Mandeep, in March, showed him in army uniform pleading for rescue and fearing for his life under Russian command, the family said. “It was extremely distressing for the family when we heard reports that Mandeep and other young Punjabi boys were forcibly recruited into the Russian army for deployment in war-torn Ukraine,” said Jagdeep Kumar.
Desperate for help, the family approached Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, who promptly raised the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs, urging swift action to secure the safe return of Mandeep Kumar and others ensnared in similar circumstances.
Seechewal said, “This is very disturbing when innocent youths are lured by unscrupulous agents. We must caution our youth against falling prey to such traps.”