Who was Mohammed Afsan, Indian duped into joining Russian war, who has died?

Mohammed Afsan, an Indian duped into joining the Russia-Ukraine war, has died.

Afsan’s death was confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Moscow.

The 30-year-old was duped into joining the Russian Army after falling prey to a job scam.

Afsan’s death comes weeks after a 23-year-old Indian who worked as a ‘helper’ in the Russian Army died in a Ukrainian air strike.

It also comes as nearly a dozen Indians say they were forced to join the Russian military after falling victim to a con.

But who was Afsan? How did he find himself in Russia?

Let’s take a closer look:

According to The Times of India, Afsan hailed from Hyderabad’s Bazar Ghat.

A commerce graduate, Afsan previously worked at a men’s clothing store.

Afsan was sent to Russia in December after being promised work in the role of a helper.

“He, like the other youths, was promised a salary of Rs 45,000 per month for the initial three months, which would gradually increase to Rs 1.5 lakh. After working for a year, he could apply for Russian passport and citizenship. It was a lucrative offer and unfortunately they fell for it. Afsan left for Moscow on 9 November,” his brother Imran told Indian Express.

The Hindu quoted Imran as saying that Afsan went to Moscow via Chennai and Sharjah.

“They were duped. The agent who recruited them said they would work in Moscow only; instead, they were given 15-day training and dropped in Ukraine, where they are being forced to stay alongside Russian troops fighting the war,” Imran previously told Indian Express.

The Hindu reported that the travel agent, who has a YouTube channel named Baba Vlogs, had promised that Afsan would not be fighting on the frontlines.

“On 13 November, they were made to sign a one-year agreement, which was in Russian, a language he did not know. Believing the agent, he signed the agreement,” Imran told the newspaper.

According to Deccan Herald, Afsan paid the agent Rs 3 lakh.

But after reaching Moscow, Afsan was sent to Rostov-on-Don – 100 kilometres from the Ukraine border.

According to the newspaper, though information about Afsan’s death was received today, it remains unclear exactly how and where he died.

According to Indian Express, Afsan’s last video call with his family was on 31 December.

Afsan is survived by his wife and two children.

Another 23-year-old from Telangana, Mohammed Sufiyan, also fell prey to the same scam as Afsan.

According to Indian Express, Sufiyan was earning Rs 30,000 a month at a Dubai packaging company.

“He came in contact with an agent named Faisal Khan, who runs a YouTube channel, and was brainwashed into applying for this job in Moscow, saying he would never earn more,” Sufiyan’s brother Saiyed Salman told Indian Express.

Sufiyan, who hails from Telangana’s Narayanpet told his brother the circumstances resembled “PUBG, but in real life," as per The Hindu.

In February, 23-year-old Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya was killed in a Ukrainian airstrike on Donetsk region.

Hemil, who hailed from Gujarat, worked as a ‘helper’ in the Russian Army.

He had been in the country since December.

Hemil’s family told Indian Express he was “put on duty from 24 December”.

“Their work was to dig mud and make bunkers for a couple of hours in a day and later supply arms and ammunition to the Russian soldiers on the frontlines. They were also trained in using machine guns and other arms. Hemil was made to undergo one-month training in a camp,” a relative said.

According to The Hindu, a group of Indians were on the battlefield during the airstrike.

Hemil was alongside Sameer Ahmad, a resident of Karnataka’s Gulbarga.

Ahmad said he was digging a trench and Hemil was practising how to fire when they saw a drone hovering above.

“Suddenly we heard some noise… Two other Indians along with some Russian soldiers hid in the trenches. The missile struck and the earth shook. After some time, when we got out, I found Hemil was dead,” Ahmad told The Hindu.

Ahmad said he loaded Hemil’s in the truck.

Among the other Indians duped, seven have been identified as Gagandeep Singh (24), Lovepreet Singh (24), Narain Singh (22), Gurpreet Singh (21), Gurpreet Singh (23), Harsh Kumar (20) and Abhishek Kumar (21). While five of them are said to be from Punjab, the remaining two are from neighbouring Haryana.

The men said they travelled to Russia on 27 December to celebrate the New Year.

They were then approached by an agent who showed them around Russia.

“He then offered to take us to Belarus. We were not aware we needed a visa. When we went to Belarus (without a visa) the agent asked us for more money and then abandoned us. The police caught us and handed us over to Russian authorities, who made us sign some documents.”

The men say they were then given an impossible choice — join the Russian Army or go to prison for a decade.

They said they were told they would be given ‘helper’ jobs in the army — driving or cooking.

Knowing they were out of options, they signed the documents.

These poor men aren’t alone aren’t alone.

At least three other men from Telangana and Karnataka are also in the same situation.

The families of these men have asked the Centre for help.

The families said the men learnt of better-paying jobs in West Asia through Baba Vlogs.

According to SCMP, a man named Faisal Khan is behind Baba Vlogs.

Khan posted a video of himself in St Petersburg asking viewers to join the Russian Army.

Khan, who mentioned that the salary would be $3,600 per month, said the job includes clearing buildings that have been razed and taking care of armouries.

Khan said no combat duty will be required.

The families of some Indians tricked into fighting the war have also approached All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaddudin Owaisi for help, as per The Hindu.

Owaisi in a 25 January letter to the Indian Embassy in Moscow said, “All these young men were cheated. These travel agents should be sent to jail.”

With inputs from agencies