A disabled Punjabi youth has become the latest victim of a travel scam, being coerced into joining the Russian army after being lured to Moscow under false pretenses. Mandeep Kumar from Goraya, Jalandhar, was promised a job in Italy by a travel agent but was instead taken to Russia, where he was forced to enlist in the Russian military.
Mandeep’s brother, Jagdeep Kumar, revealed that his brother has a congenital limb defect and that he and his friends were misled about the destination, believing they were traveling to Italy via Armenia. Upon reaching Russia, they were subjected to exploitation and threats from the agents, who demanded further payment.
The family reported that in their last interaction with Mandeep, he was in army uniform and pleaded for rescue. The distressing situation of Mandeep and other young Punjabi boys being forcibly recruited into the Russian army for deployment in Ukraine has raised concerns about the vulnerability of unsuspecting individuals falling prey to such scams.
The family reached out to Balbir Singh Seechewal, a Rajya Sabha member, who brought the issue to the attention of the Ministry of External Affairs, urging swift action to secure the safe return of Mandeep and others trapped in similar circumstances. Seechewal expressed his concern about the unscrupulous agents exploiting innocent youths, emphasizing the need to caution them against falling into such traps.
This incident is not an isolated case. Several similar reports have emerged, highlighting the alarming trend of young Indians being lured into working for the Russian army. In March, a Hyderabad youth was tragically killed in the Russia-Ukraine war after being tricked into joining the Russian army under the pretense of a job offer.
Hamil Mangukiya, originally from Surat, responded to an online job advertisement promising employment in Russia. He traveled from Chennai to Moscow and was hired as an assistant in the Russian army. However, he lost his life in an airstrike conducted by Ukraine on February 21 in the Donetsk region, near the Russia-Ukraine border.
These cases serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of falling prey to fraudulent job offers and the urgent need for increased awareness and vigilance to protect young individuals from becoming entangled in such perilous situations.
