India Arrests Four for Deceiving Indian Men into Fighting for Russia in Ukraine

India’s federal investigation agency has announced the arrest of four individuals associated with a human trafficking network. They stand accused of enticing young men to Russia under false pretenses of lucrative employment opportunities or university admissions.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reported that 35 men were duped in this manner in March.

It was reported on May 7 that the four arrested include a translator, a facilitator of visa processing and airline ticket bookings, as well as two primary recruiters operating in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The investigation “is continuing against other accused persons who are part of this international network of human traffickers”, the CBI said announcing the arrests, which come two months after carrying out raids across 13 locations in India with investigators detaining several people for questioning.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said it was working to secure discharges for about 20 Indians in the Russian army.

Several Indians told Al Jazeera they were duped into joining the Russian army by promises of high salaries and Russian passports before being sent to the front lines.

Russia works on luring people from different parts of Asia, including Sri Lanka and Nepal. At the beginning of May, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informed that mercenaries from Nepal were deserting en masse from the Russian army.