Indian man went to Russia for $1,200-a-month job, was tortured into fighting in Ukraine, family says

A 21-year-old man from Chhattisgarh was allegedly detained and tortured in Russia to force him to join the war in Ukraine, his 17-year-old sister has claimed. She has approached the local police in Bilaspur, seeking help to bring her brother back to India.Vinit Kumar Dubey, a resident of Bilha in Bilaspur district, travelled to Russia on October 1 after receiving a job offer through a Telegram group, his sister said.

Bilaspur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajnesh Singh told news agency PTI that the authorities were waiting for a response from the Indian embassy in Moscow. Bilaspur collector Sanjay Agrawal said the district administration had also contacted the ministry of external affairs (MEA).

The Indian embassy and the MEA have not issued statements on the case so far.

Man detained in Russia, forced to join war: Sister

Dubey’s teen sister reportedly submitted a letter to the district administration, urging them to intervene and help bring her brother home.

Speaking to news agency ANI, she said her brother had been offered a job at a food storage facility with a monthly salary of around $1,200. “However, once he arrived, his job description was changed; he was told he would be doing delivery work instead. He was placed in a hotel alongside a young man from Jordan.”

She said that she had not heard from Vinit since October 7 and had received neither calls nor messages.

The girl said someone called the family from a Russian phone number on the night of October 10 and told them that Vinit had been implicated in a narcotics-related case and was being forced to join the war.

The family initially believed the call was part of a scam and stopped communicating with the caller. She alleged that the same person told the family that Vinit was being tortured to make him join the war.

The teenager said she had emailed the Indian embassy on October 8 to report her brother missing. "The embassy replied that it would look into the matter and try to trace his whereabouts," she was quoted as saying by PTI.

She has urged the district administration to work with the Indian embassy to locate her brother and ensure his safe return to India.

Local administration approaches embassy, MEA

Bilaspur SSP Rajnesh Singh confirmed that the police had received the girl's complaint alleging that her brother was being held in Russia. "We have written to the Indian embassy about a week ago, but have not received a response so far. Further action will be initiated as soon as we receive a reply," he said.

Bilaspur collector Sanjay Agrawal said he had discussed the matter with the SSP, who had contacted the Indian embassy. The district administration has also approached the MEA, he said, expressing hope that the matter would be resolved.