New Delhi, March 8 (EFE).- India’s main probe agency carried out raids in several cities on Friday after dismantling a major network involved in the trafficking of Indian citizens to fight for Russia against Ukraine.<\/p>
“The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)is conducting simultaneous searches at around 13 locations” in seven cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, the agency said in a statement.<\/p>
The raids came after the agency said it dismantled “a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting gullible youths on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad.”<\/p>
The Indian authorities have so far seized 5 million rupees ($60,000), incriminating documents and electronic records in addition to making several arrests of suspects for interrogation concerning the case.<\/p>
The CBI explained that the traffickers attracted Indian citizens through social media channels and local contacts for highly paid jobs in Russia.<\/p>
Once recruited, “they were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine war zone against their wishes, thus putting their lives in grave danger,” the CBI said.<\/p>
The agency has so far identified 35 cases of victims sent abroad through these networks.<\/p>
India reported last Wednesday the death of a citizen allegedly tricked into fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.<\/p>
In recent weeks, about a dozen Indian citizens have insisted that they traveled to Moscow to support the Russian army in secondary tasks but were forced to fight on the front.<\/p>
Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, India has called on its citizens to stay out of the conflict.<\/p>
New Delhi has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict, avoiding condemning the Russian invasion.<\/p>
Indian law prohibits its citizens from participating in armed conflicts in other territories or countries with which New Delhi is at peace.<\/p>
According to the Indian Penal Code, those who violate this rule shall be punished with imprisonment of any kind for a period that may extend to seven years. EFE<\/p>
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