The Dirty 5 who duped Indians and sent them to Russian war-front

Hemil Mangukiya, a resident of Gujarat, who died in a drone attack

Mid-Day has obtained details of at least five agents, one of whom is Nepali; the rest are Indian nationals. All of them are currently in Russia and are believed to be the masterminds behind recruiting individuals presumably for security helper positions, subsequently transitioning them into army roles deployed in red zone areas along the Ukraine and Russia border.

The five agents identified are Mohammed Moinuddin from Rajasthan, Ramesh Kumar from Tamil Nadu, Khushpirit from Chandigarh, Jobi Bensam Nijil from Tamil Nadu, and Santosh from Nepal. Faisal Khan, an Indian agent based in Mumbai who runs the YouTube channel ‘Baba Blogs', claimed to have received recruitment details from Moinuddin. Khan said, "In Russia, I stayed with Moinuddin and other agents who were collaborating with him. I relied on their information and began sending candidates from India."

(From left) Agents Ramesh Kumar and Jobi Bensam Nijil, both from Tamil Nadu, Santosh from Nepal and Mohammed Moinuddin from Rajasthan

According to Baba Blogs, these agents in Russia also defrauded him by taking Rs 2.5 lakh per candidate, which was transferred to Moinuddin's account. "All these agents were aware of their actions and endangered the lives of these youngsters for money. They colluded with translators and didn't provide accurate information to the candidates, who were clearly told they were being hired for army jobs," stated an Indian national currently serving in the Russian army, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Khushpirit from Chandigarh

"I am doing my best to rescue as many as I can through my contacts, but the Indian Embassy needs to take this matter seriously, or many lives will be at risk. There are over 100 Indians involved, and the embassy needs to gather details; some have reached out to the embassy, while others haven't," he added.

"I was there when the drone attack took place, and it was so massive that I couldn't see anything. We were digging the area for training, and Hemil was also there. After the attack, I saw Hemil with head injuries, and I pulled at least 23 bodies and transported them to a forest area in an army camp. I have no words to explain, and it took us two days to inform his family. I urge the Indian government to rescue us as soon as possible and take action against the agents who deceived us. The agent Moinuddin lied about everything once we arrived in Russia," said Sameer Ahmed from Karnataka, stranded in Russia.

"The attack occurred just 150 metres away from us, but by the grace of God, we survived. Now we've been given a few days of rest, but if we aren't rescued soon, they'll take us back to the border area," Ahmed added. Mumbai resident Ilyas Husaini also contacted mid-day and said, "I came to Russia through Baba Blogs, but I was deceived when I landed here. Multiple agents in Russia misled us. Now, I am staying in a forest area just 60 kilometres away from the border, and we are yet to receive any help from the embassy."

Group of Indian nationals stuck in Russia. (Pic shared by the agent Faisal Khan)

"For the past two months, I've been tirelessly ensuring everyone's evacuation. The allegations against me are false. I thoroughly briefed all candidates about the risks involved in their role as helpers with the army, including staying for uploading, unloading, and other tasks. The Russian-language agreement was translated and explained, and all candidates agreed to its terms," said Mohammed Moinuddin.

Revealing further about the syndicate, the source claims that these agents sent their pics in Russian army uniforms to these candidates to earn their trust that they were already in the Russian army and they could get helper jobs in the army without hesitation. Most of these candidates have relied on them. The sources shared the agreement copy with mid-day, which is in the Russian language.

Sources have also revealed that initially, the same gang hired several candidates from Nepal. However, due to a crackdown by the Nepalese police on the network, they shifted their focus to hiring Indians who were seeking employment. Currently, they are also recruiting candidates from Sri Lanka.

The first death

Around 48 hours after speaking with his father, a 23-year-old resident of Surat in Gujarat died in a drone attack by the Ukrainian army. The deceased, identified as Hemil Mangukiya, was lured for a security helper job and was posted in the Russian army as a commander, with around 6-8 Indians working under him. mid-day spoke to his father earlier this week, and he mentioned that he spoke to his son on Tuesday, where he sounded fine and was at a safe location.

However, sources revealed that Hemil was at the border in the Donetsk region of the Russia-Ukraine border, where a deadly drone strike occurred on Wednesday while they were digging. Hemil sustained multiple head injuries and tragically passed away, while the other Indians managed to escape and survived. Hemil's father posted news of his death on his WhatsApp status. "He was in constant touch with his family and with me as well; we were working to rescue his entire group but he died in a recent drone attack," said Indian agent Faisal Khan, who is accused of sending a number of these candidates to Russia.

Earlier mid-day had reported about the serious injuries sustained by at least two Indian nationals identified as Mohammed Asfan and Zahoor Ahmed from bullet and sniper shots, both of whom have been missing since December. Additionally, another individual identified as Arbab Husain is awaiting assistance from the Indian Embassy.

Five
No of agents believed to be masterminds

100
Approx no of Indians stranded in Russia