- Indian man lured to Russia with false job offer.
- Jailed on fake drug charges, pressured to join army.
- Family seeks urgent government and diplomatic intervention.
A 38-year-old store manager from Raipur, Tikeshwar Sahu, left India on September 8, hoping to secure a better future for his family, including his wife, two children, and elderly parents. Sahu had received a job offer via Telegram as a delivery agent in Russia. He was told that his tourist visa would be converted into a work visa once he joined, and Sahu planned to eventually bring his entire family over.
Sahu travelled from Delhi to Moscow and then to Volgograd, where he received 5,000 Russian rubles from the contact who promised him a job. However, normal communication abruptly stopped after a final call on September 16. While his family initially assumed the outage was due to wartime network disruptions, they soon learned he had been jailed under fabricated charges related to illegal substances, The Indian Express reported.
"He was crying a lot on the phone. He told us that he was in jail. He said he was being pressured to join the Russian Army," a family member recalled after Sahu was allowed to make a five-minute video call following frantic messages to an unknown Russian number.
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Forced Military Sign-Up, Assault, And Health Deterioration
The family's fears were confirmed when they received a photograph of a handwritten letter sent from a Russian mobile number. Though the number was unfamiliar, the handwriting was unmistakably Sahu's. In the note, he explained that he was being falsely implicated in a drug case, a charge his relatives believe is being deliberately used to prolong his detention and force him to sign documents declaring his consent to join the Russian Army.
Beyond the legal trouble, Sahu's health is rapidly deteriorating. He suffers from a thyroid condition requiring daily medication, which his family alleges has been withheld during his detention. They further alleged that he was physically assaulted while in custody. The severe stress and lack of medical treatment led to a blood pressure spike, resulting in his hospitalisation on October 22. The family has received no clear updates on his current condition or potential release date.
Financial Strain And Appeals For Action
The legal struggle has taken a heavy financial toll on the Sahu family. They have already spent Rs 1.5 lakh to hire a lawyer in Russia and are struggling to pay the lawyer before every court hearing.
To secure his release, the family initially approached the DGP headquarters in Naya Raipur in September, subsequently reached out to political leaders and the state secretariat, and filed an application on the Prime Minister’s grievance portal.
On November 4, Sahu's wife, Manorama, wrote to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Raipur Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Shukla, requesting an official investigation, legal assistance, medical care, and diplomatic intervention.
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"We have received the complaint. As per procedure, we shall send it to the state home department, which, in turn, will send it to the Ministry of External Affairs for further action," a senior official from the Raipur Police Commissionerate was quoted as saying.
While the Russian Embassy has not responded to emails from the family, the Indian Embassy in Moscow replied, stating it is actively trying to ascertain details of the case.
"We want the government to intervene and bring him back. We do not know what is happening to him, and we are extremely worried about his health," a relative said.