Russian war trafficking racket: CBI files FIR against 19 agents

Hours after registering a FIR against nearly two dozen people and their companies for trafficking unsuspecting Indians to the RussiaUkraine war zone the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI conducted multiple raids across India One team visited Vasai on Thursday in search of a vlogger and two agentsThe vlogger Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan alias Baba lives with his wife in Ventura Residency Complex in Vasai WestBaba who claims to be hiding in Dubai to avert a police crackdown had hired local agents Sufiyan Dawood Daruger and his wife Pooja The couple live in Sai Ashirvad Housing Society which is near Babarsquos homeSai Ashirwad building where Sufiyan and his wife Pooja live in Vasai PicsHanif PatelBaba has been accused of running the alleged racket from Dubai where he makes YouTube videos to lure unemployed Indians seeking jobs in foreign land He would also give the name and number of his local agents Sufiyan and his wife Pooja who would facilitate gullible Indians to complete their documents to go to foreign landsAfter the FIR was registered Baba deleted content that he had uploaded on social media accountsldquoI have been working for the last eight years To date nearly 1000 Indians got jobs in foreign countries because of merdquo Baba told middaySufiyan Dawood Daruger an agent who works for BabaldquoI have been working to rescue all the Indians for the past two months and I managed to rescue six people from the war zone What has the Government of India been doing till now What is the Ministry of External Affairs MEA doingrdquo He wondered while talking to middayldquoI had been supplying manpower to big companies in Dubai Based on my nature of work I received a call from Russia where I was asked to work for them too They wanted us to work for Russia where I supplied people to drive taxis driver and wait tablesrdquo he addedldquoLater they wanted manpower for the Russian army This was shocking for me When I asked them how could they hire people for their army I was told that the manpower was required to help them at the backendrdquo he addedldquoAll the transactions are white I have all the relevant documents based on which the Indians were sent to Russiardquo he addedldquoThis is the first time a case has been registered against me The MEA should work on this closely to safeguard Indiansrdquo he saidAsked when he would come back to India Baba said ldquoI am the only point of contact for the relatives of those stuck in the war zone If I come to India I will be arrested In such a situation who will the relatives contact I will come back to India only when all the victims come back to IndiardquoAccusedrsquos backyardmidday team visited the Sai Ashirvad building where Vasai residents said that the CBI had to wait for two hours as the female relatives of Sufiyan were not opening the gate according to a residentldquoCBI officials including women personnel were in plain clothes They had also apprised local officials from Vasai Gaon police station from where a team had also arrived here on Thursdayrdquo said a residentldquoInitially the CBI team knocked on the door of Sufiyanrsquos house but they did not open it The team waited for nearly two hours on the premises Finally they opened the gate at 4 pm The team questioned some women for six hours and walked out at 10 pmrdquo said another residentSources told midday that the central agency gathered incriminating documents and vital information related to the alleged racketSources in the housing society where Sufiyan lived with his parents siblings and wife said that despite allegedly minting money by trafficking humans they had not paid maintenance in the past three years ldquoMultiple reminders have been sent to Sufiyanrsquos house but bills have not been paid They have been earning lakhs of rupees in the racket every month but they canrsquot pay R1000 maintenance for the flatrdquo said a neighbourldquoThe above accused persons themselves and through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting jobs related to the Russian army security guards helper better life job education and huge amount was charged from these persons illegally It has also been informed that these agentshuman traffickers are duping Indian studentscitizens for admission in dubious private universities in Russia instead of govt public known universities by offering them free discounted Visa extensions fee structure etc and thereafter they are left at the mercy of visa agents and college authorities sicrdquo reads the FIR registered by CBIldquoFurther it has been learnt that on reaching Russia passports of these Indian nationals were takensnatched by agents at Russia They were being trained in combat roles and provided with Russian army uniform and batches Thereafter these Indian nationals arewere being deployed at front bases in RussiaUkraine war zone against their wishes and put their lives in grave danger It has been ascertained that some human trafficking victims were also got grievously injured in the war zonerdquo reads the FIRldquoAbove acts on the parts of accused persons prima facie disclose the commission of cognisable offences of criminal conspiracy cheating and human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation punishable under the provision under Sections 120B 420 and 370 of the Indian Penal Coderdquo it readsThe five agents are Mohammed Moinuddin from Rajasthan Ramesh Kumar from Tamil Nadu Khushpirit from Chandigarh Jobi Bensam Nijil from Tamil Nadu and Santosh from NepalBaba claimed to have received recruitment details from MoinuddinMEA statementA statement issued by the MEA read ldquoSeveral Indian nationals have been duped to work with the Russian Army We have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for the early discharge of such Indian nationals Strong action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who recruited them on false pretexts and promises The CBI has busted a major human trafficking network conducting searches in several cities and collecting incriminating evidence A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents We once again appeal to Indian nationals to not be swayed by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian army This is fraught with danger and risk to life We remain committed to the early release of our nationals serving as support staff with the Russian Army and their eventual return homerdquoMarch 7Day CBI officials went to Vasai