Abdul Naeem, one of the three young men from Karnataka who returned from the Russia-Ukraine war zone said he was just miles away from the border and could hear loud explosions of bombs dropped by drones.
The parents of the youth expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who hails from Kalaburagi for their son’s safe return.
Russia-Ukraine War
Naeem, who hails from Kalaburagi district went to Russia in December last year, returned on September 13. The youth said he was assured by his fraudulent agent that he would be employed as a security staff in Russia, but he realised upon landing that he was duped and was being taken to work as a support staff for Russian army near the conflict zone.
Sharing his ordeal, Naeem said, ”We had to undergo 21 days training. They took away our phones. After training, on January 19, we (Indians) were separated. I was kept in a house and later taken to a place in Ukraine. I was about 19 kms from the border. War was raging on and we could hear sound of bombs.
‘Lot of danger’
“They were planning to send us to the forefront, but I told the commander that I was duped. I told them that we were assured of job as a security helper and huge amount of money was also taken from us. After hearing my story, they said they will give work but like 5 kms from border or may be sometimes 3 kms from border. So, there was lot of danger and we had to save ourselves from the drones. Some Indians also lost lives in drone attacks.”
Fearing for their lives, Abdul said he and his friends contacted their families and asked them to approach the central government for help. He recalled that on September 8, a commander arrived and told them that their army contract was no longer valid. “The commander said you are dismissed from army service and can leave. From there, it took two days by a vehicle and after necessary paper work, we were given bullet proof jackets, uniforms, and other essentials. They used to make us wear bullet proof jackets while passing through dangerous spots,” he recounted.
He also received salary for around five months of work and was asked to raise a request for pending salary of two months. “There was problem for food and we were depending on noodles and pasta… they eat pork there… we don’t,” Naeem said and advised people applying for jobs abroad to enquire about the agent before hand and keep the family posted.
‘I pinned my hopes’
The victim’s father Abdul Rauf was made to run from pillar to post for the last four months to ensure his son’s safe return. “I had approached Priyank Kharge (Karnataka Minister), I also travelled to Delhi and met Jaishankar (External Affairs Minister)… I pinned my hopes and keeping track of the news to know about my son’s whereabouts. It is because of Modiji’s (PM Narendra Modi) kindness. I approached Kharge ji (Mallikarjun Kharge) in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi, Modiji…Jaishankar ji went to Russia twice. Everyone was working towards the safe return of our sons,” he said.
The victim’s family sought strict punishment for the agents who duped innocents under the pretext of getting jobs abroad. “No one should suffer like my son.” Russia had agreed to India’s demand to ensure early release of Indian nationals working with the Russian military after PM Modi “very strongly” raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin during his visit.
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