Russian Human Trafficking: CBI registers criminal case

New Delhi, Aug 09: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a criminal case against 19 individuals and entities involved in human trafficking, with connections to the recruitment of Indian nationals into the Russian Army, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha today.

Responding to a question from an honourable member, the Minister stated, "The CBI has examined 14 individuals who returned from Russia, and sufficient evidence has surfaced against 10 known human traffickers. During the investigation, four of the accused were arrested—two on April 24th and two more on May 7th. All four are currently in judicial custody."

In a broader context, the Minister revealed that the government is aware of 91 cases where Indian nationals were recruited into the Russian Army. "Unfortunately, eight of them have passed away. With our assistance, 14 have been discharged or have returned, and 69 Indian citizens are still awaiting release," he said.

The Minister emphasized the seriousness with which the government is addressing the issue. "I have personally raised this matter multiple times with the Russian Foreign Minister. When the Prime Minister visited Moscow last month, he discussed this issue directly with President Putin, who assured that any Indian national in the service of the Russian Army would be discharged and released."

However, the Minister pointed out the complexities involved. "The Russian authorities maintain that these Indian nationals entered into contracts for service with the Russian Army. We do not necessarily subscribe to this view. I believe, as does the honourable member, that many of our nationals were misled—they were told they were going for different jobs and then found themselves deployed with the Russian Army."