Four men from Telangana’s Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts were lured to Russia six months ago with the promise of a civilian job, yet were seized at a border checkpoint and conscripted into a military training camp in a forested zone. Each paid roughly ₹3 lakh to recruiters, a sum that has now vanished without trace.
Families claim the men were given weapons, tied to trees, and subjected to basic military drills. Mohammed Afzal Khan, 44, posted a video from the jungle, stating, “They initially made us do different work, and now they force us to do entirely different tasks.” His wife added that he texts only once every eight to ten days.
The NRI wing of the Telangana government, Pravasi Prajavani, has requested coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Moscow to locate the four men and secure their repatriation. The state has also urged the central government to issue a diplomatic protest to Russian authorities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office is scheduled to brief the foreign ministry on the incident next week, after which a formal complaint will be lodged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and the UN Human Rights Council. The families are awaiting a response that could trigger a joint investigation.
For Amir Khan, a 66‑year‑old farmer from Kamareddy, the ordeal has left his wife, a disabled woman, and their two‑year‑old daughter in a state of perpetual anxiety, hoping for a rescue mission that seems increasingly unlikely.
The case underscores the vulnerability of migrant workers to exploitation abroad and may prompt stricter vetting of overseas employment offers.