Hyderabad Man, Mohammed Asfan, killed in Russia conflict
Mohammed Asfan, Hyderabad: According to the Indian Embassy in Moscow, 30-year-old Mohammed Asfan from Hyderabad was killed months after being tricked into joining Russia's war against Ukraine, as announced on Wednesday.
image for illustrative purpose
Hyderabad resident fighting in Russia
The 30-year-old Hyderabadi Mohammed Asfan was slain months after being tricked into joining the Russian war against Ukraine, according to the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
The Russian military is receiving support from about twenty Indian nationals, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. He and two other men, according to Asfan's family, arrived in Russia in November of last year after receiving job offers to work as government office assistants in Russia.
On December 31st, last year—just weeks before his family learned of his death—Asfan spoke with them for the last time.
According to the embassy's statement on X,
"We have learnt about the tragic death of an Indian national Shri Mohammed Asfan. We are in touch with the family and Russian authorities. Mission will make efforts to send his mortal remains to India."
Updates on Mohammed Asfan incident
Who is Mohammed Asfan?
In Hyderabad, Asfan was an employee at a clothing showroom.
According to his family, Asfan fell victim to a scam agent based in Dubai who ran a YouTube channel named ‘Baba Vlogs’ and advertised his services to help foreign nationals obtain work visas.
The agent had taken ₹3 lakh from each of the men after promising them high-paying jobs as security guards in Russia.
Asfan and others were forced to sign a Russian document upon arriving in Moscow. According to Asfan's brother Imran, they came to terms with the fact that they were enlisted as ‘helpers’ in the Russian army only afterward.
Imran claimed that Asfan was informed by one of the agents who tricked him into travelling to Russia that his contract had been terminated. In addition, he asserted that Asfan was wounded but alive.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was the first to inform Asfan's family of his death. Owaisi had previously written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the deception of men from various Indian states into joining the war in Russia, promising them high-paying jobs.
