Three individuals were arrested on Saturday in connection with the death of a Kerala man, who had joined a military support service in Russia. The accused, Sandeep Thomas, Sumesh Antony, and Sibi, all natives of Thrissur, were arrested for allegedly recruiting young men to Russia with false promises of high-paying jobs, according to the police.
The arrests were made by the Wadakkanchery police, who summoned the trio for detailed questioning following a complaint filed by Joicy John, the wife of Binil T B, who died while serving in the Russian Military Support Service. The complaint also came from Kurian, the father of Jain T K, who was injured and is currently undergoing treatment in Moscow.
The trio faces charges under the Emigration Act, as well as for human trafficking and cheating.
Both Binil T B (32) and Jain T K (27), who were mechanical diploma holders from Kerala, traveled to Russia on April 4, believing they were going to work as electricians and plumbers. However, upon arrival, their Indian passports were confiscated, and they were instead deployed to a war zone as part of the Russian Military Support Service, as per their relatives.
Binil informed his family that he and his companion had been assigned to front-line service in the war zone. The tragic news of Binil’s death reached his family on January 13, as efforts were ongoing to repatriate him and his cousin-in-law, Jain, who were stranded in the Russia-Ukraine war zone.
