At least 200 Nepalis are estimated to be serving in the Russian army and about 100 are missing
\nNEW DELHI
\nIndian police said four people linked to a network of human traffickers have been arrested on suspicion of luring young men to Russia with the promise of lucrative jobs or university places only to force them to fight in the war in Ukraine.
\nAbout 35 Indian men were duped in this manner, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in March.
\nThe four Indian nationals arrested were a translator, a person facilitating visa processing and the booking of airline tickets as well as two \u201cmain recruiters\u201d for the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the CBI said late on Tuesday.
\nThe investigation \u201cis continuing against other accused persons who are part of this international network of human traffickers,\u201d the CBI said.
\nThe families of two Indian men who were killed in the war have told Reuters they had gone to Russia expecting to work as \u201chelpers\u201d in the army.
\nIndia\u2019s foreign ministry says each case has been \u201cstrongly taken up\u201d with Russia. Moscow has not responded to repeated requests from Reuters for comment.
\nOther South Asian countries have also warned their citizens against such trafficking networks after multiple cases emerged of people being similarly duped into fighting in the Russian army.
\nSri Lanka said on Wednesday that \u201ca number\u201d of its retired war veterans were lured to the Russia-Ukraine war front with the promise of a \u201chandsome salary,\u201d citizenship, and other benefits for serving in the army, none of which were granted.
\n\u201cA significant number of war veterans have died and sustained injuries on the battlefield,\u201d Sri Lanka\u2019s Defense Ministry said, adding that the law would be \u201cstrictly enforced\u201d in the matter.
\nA retired major and an employment agent have been arrested in this connection.
\nNepal, which paused issuing work permits for Russia and Ukraine in January, has said several young unemployed Nepalis had been illegally recruited into the Russian army by agents who charged them hefty sums for visas.
\nAt least 200 Nepalis are estimated to be serving in the Russian army and about 100 are missing, officials have said.
\nIndia has refused to condemn Russia over the war, calling instead for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict. The two countries have enjoyed a close relationship for decades, trading in items from fighter jets to tea.
\nIndia has also increased its purchase of cheap Russian oil since the war, with Moscow emerging as its top oil supplier in the last financial year for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At least 200 Nepalis are estimated to be serving in the Russian army and about 100 are missing NEW DELHI Indian police said four people linked to a network of human traffickers have been arrested on suspicion of luring young men to Russia with the promise of lucrative jobs or university places only to force […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n