A job offer from Russia landed a 38-year-old man from Raipur in legal trouble. The man, identified as Tikeshwar Sahu, had reportedly received a job offer through Telegram.
Hoping to secure a better future
for his family, Sahu travelled to Russia in September, only to find himself embroiled in a case involving fabricated charges.
Job Offer Turns Nightmare For Raipur Man
According to a report in The Indian Express, Sahu has allegedly been detained on fabricated charges and pressured to join the Russian Army in its war against Ukraine. His family has since sought government intervention to secure his safe return to India.
Sahu had left India hoping to find better employment and eventually bring his wife, two children and parents to Russia. However, days after his arrival, he informed his family that he was in jail and being forced into military service.
Sahu’s Wife Seeks CM’s Intervention
On November 4, his wife, Manorama, wrote to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Raipur Police Commissioner Sanjeev Shukla, seeking government intervention, legal assistance, medical care and his safe return to India.
The case resembles that of 21-year-old Vineet Kumar Dubey from Bilaspur, who also travelled to Russia on a tourist visa after receiving a Telegram job offer. Both families alleged that the men were not properly informed about the nature of the work before leaving India.
According to Sahu’s relatives, they last spoke to him normally on September 16. Days later, they received a handwritten letter from a Russian number in which he claimed he had been falsely implicated in a case involving illegal substances.
A subsequent five-minute video call left the family distressed. “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 said.
Sahu, who previously worked as a store manager in Raipur, had reportedly been promised a delivery agent’s job, with assurances that his tourist visa would later be converted into a work visa.
Family Spends Rs 1.5 Lakh To Secure His Release
His family has also raised concerns about his health. Sahu reportedly suffers from a thyroid condition and has not received his regular medication while detained. His relatives also alleged that he was assaulted.
The family hired a Russian lawyer and has spent around Rs 1.5 lakh on legal fees. On October 22, the lawyer informed them that Sahu had been hospitalised following a rise in blood pressure.
His relatives have contacted both Indian and Russian embassies, the state police headquarters and political leaders, besides filing a complaint through the Prime Minister’s grievance portal.
A senior Raipur Police Commissionerate official told The Indian Express, “We have received the complaint (in Sahu’s case). 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.”
The family continues to await information about his condition and release.
