Human trafficking to Russia

Most of the youth want to help their families by working abroad. Many people find huge amounts required for visas and other needs by taking loans and mortgaging land. Those who go abroad for work other than through government-approved agencies or through relatives or friends are more likely to be scammed. Youngsters are cheated in many ways. On reaching abroad, some may not get the job and the salary that the recruiting agency promised. Some may end up getting slave labour. Many people are in a situation where they cannot even contact their families in Kerala. Despite the constant news of such scams, the number of fake recruiting agencies has only multiplied here. The main reason for this is that the number of people who want to somehow go abroad is so high in the state. Another reason is that the perpetrators of such scams rarely get caught. However, this is the first time that we are hearing of the incident where youths are being trafficked out of the country and turned into mercenaries of another country.

The incident where more than ten Malayalis were recruited to the Russian mercenary group is shocking. The shocking incident came to light only because the CBI came to the fore. The CBI has registered a case against 19 people, including three Malayalis, who did the recruiting. They trafficked people to Russia by offering them jobs such as helpers and by taking three lakh rupees each from each person. The authorities seized the passports of the youths who came to Russia and assigned them to fight against Ukraine after giving them a little training. The Malayali people among the accused are Thiruvananthapuram Thumba native Domiraj, Kadinamkulam native Robert and Puthucurichy native Sajin Dixon. The CBI has hinted that there will be more accused from Kerala.

The youths were recruited through two agencies in Thakaraparambu and Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram. They found the victims by advertising through social media that people are needed for jobs like office work and security officers in the Russian government. A monthly salary of Rs 2 lakh and an allowance of Rs 50,000 was offered. The aspirants were also guaranteed Russian citizenship after one year. The accused thus recruited youths from various parts of the country to Russia in this way. They were brought to Russia, dressed up in army uniforms and taken straight to the battlefront of Ukraine. There were reports that two Indians were killed and many injured in the missile attack.

It remains to be seen whether the Malayalis were injured. The police agencies of the state also need to carry out an inspection and investigation to find out whether such recruiting agencies are still operating in the state. More than human trafficking, it should be considered a crime of treason. Converting the citizens of one country into mercenaries of another country is treason. Such people may lure youths and take them even to Pakistan tomorrow.