Mohammed Ahmed, a 37-year-old resident of Hyderabad, has issued a desperate plea from Russia, where he claims to have been duped by a job agent and coerced into military training amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, refusing to fight under threat of execution. In a harrowing selfie video purportedly recorded near the frontlines, Ahmed recounted the deaths of 17 out of 25 men who trained alongside him—including another Indian—and detailed his escape attempt that left him with a fractured leg now in plaster.
His wife, Afsha Begum, has appealed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for urgent repatriation, portraying Ahmed as the family's sole provider amid their dire circumstances, including a paralysed mother and two young children aged 10 and 4. The video, shared via family channels, has amplified calls for intervention, spotlighting the perils faced by Indian migrants lured abroad with false job promises in a nation reeling from economic pressures and unemployment rates hovering above 8% in Telangana.
Ahmed's ordeal began in April 2025 when he departed India on assurances from a Mumbai-based consultancy firm of steady employment in Russia's construction industry, a sector booming amid wartime reconstruction needs. Instead, after a month of idleness, he and about 30 others were allegedly transported to a remote training facility, stripped of passports, and subjected to weapons instruction under duress. "After training, 26 persons were taken to the border area to fight the Ukrainian Army," Afsha wrote in her letter to Jaishankar, detailing how Ahmed leaped from a moving vehicle en route, sustaining injuries that rendered him immobile.
In the footage, Ahmed, speaking in a mix of Hindi and Urdu with visible distress, described armed guards pressing a gun to his neck: "They threatened us to fight... said they would shoot me and stage it as if I was killed by a drone." He implored authorities not to spare the agent responsible, accusing the intermediary of a 25-day delay before the forcible conscription, a scam tactic preying on desperate blue-collar workers from southern India.
The family's outreach to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi last week has thrust the case into the political spotlight, with the Hyderabad MP demanding swift diplomatic action to secure Ahmed's return. Owaisi, representing the city's Old City, where many such migrants hail from, highlighted the pattern of exploitation targeting Muslim communities, echoing over 100 similar repatriation pleas from Indians trapped in Russian recruitment drives since 2022.
"This is human trafficking masked as job placement," Owaisi stated in a public post, urging the Ministry of External Affairs to blacklist the implicated firm and coordinate with Russian authorities under bilateral labour pacts. Ahmed's refusal to engage, despite threats, aligns with reports of at least 50 Indians coerced into the Russian army, with eight confirmed deaths, per Indian embassy dispatches. The video's raw authenticity—Ahmed's bandaged leg and tense whispers—has gone viral on social platforms, garnering over 500,000 views and solidarity from diaspora networks.
Also Read: NYC Mayoral Debate Erupts in Personal Attacks, Policy Clashes, and Trump Tensions
This incident underscores the shadowy underbelly of global migration, where fraudulent agents exploit India's youth bulge and faltering job market, funnelling them into conflict zones for profit. Russian officials have denied systematic forcible enlistment, claiming voluntary contracts, but U.N. human rights monitors have flagged violations akin to those in the Wagner Group's African operations. For Ahmed's family, huddled in a modest Hyderabad home, the wait is agonising; Afsha's plea emphasises the ripple effects: school fees unpaid, medical care for her mother deferred.
As diplomatic channels activate—potentially involving the Indian embassy in Moscow—the case could catalyse stricter emigration oversight, including mandatory agent verification under the Emigration Act. In a nation sending over 17 million workers abroad annually, Ahmed's cry from the frontlines demands not just rescue but systemic safeguards to prevent the next victim, ensuring dreams of prosperity don't end in nightmares of conscription.
Also Read: Helipad Incident during President's Visit Triggers Row over Preparation; Officials Deny Major Incident