Duped on pretext of permanent work visa in Germany: Haryana youths allege torture by immigration agents

Two youths hailing from Haryana's Karnal who were lured on the pretext of a permanent work visa in Germany, were allegedly tortured by immigration agents, police said on Saturday.

Two youths hailing from Haryana's Karnal who were lured on the pretext of a permanent work visa in Germany, were allegedly tortured by immigration agents, police said on Saturday. Reportedly, the two youths were fraudulently sent to Russia instead of Germany, where they had been promised jobs in a hotel and a permanent work visa. But the youths were sent to Russia where they were allegedly tortured by the immigration agents.

"I went abroad on September 24 last year. The agent who sent me said that they will provide me with a permanent work visa in Germany, but they handed over a Bangkok ticket. When I reached there, they started torturing me. Additionally, they took money from my family," Mukesh, one of the youth who allegedly faced torture in Russia, told ANI on Saturday. "From Bangkok, they (agent) accorded me the ticket to Russia and said that their people would come to pick me up at the airport. After reaching Russia, they began torturing me. Donker took me to their place, started beating me and demanded money," the youth said.

Mukesh further alleged that he was denied food and was kept thirsty while in captivity. "By taxi, I was taken to Belarus from Russia; they took me to their place in the border forests, put burnt cigarettes on my body. Through me, they used to do video calls to my family, and threatened to kill me if my family didn't credit money," he said.

"We were then arrested by the Army for not having valid travel permits. They asked us to join the army or serve in jail for 10 years. We refused to join the army, then they tortured us, and put us in jail in Moscow, the youth added. "I returned to India on March 14. I was sent to a camp in Moscow, where I was asked if I wanted to join the army or depot. I chose to depot," Mukesh said.

He claimed that around 250-300 Indian youth are trapped in Russia's Moscow. According to the police, the family of the youth have filed a complaint with the Haryana police regarding the alleged torture.

"They sent their sons abroad, but Donker blackmailed them and trapped them there. They charged Rs 10 lakh and took away Rs 25 lakh in total. An FIR has been launched and arrests will be made soon," Sandeep Kumar, Investigating Officer (IO) of Munak Police Station in Karnal, said while speaking to reporters on Saturday. "They are still recovering. We met them today. As soon as their condition improves, they will be brought in for further investigation," the officer added. (ANI)

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