Raipur man detained in Russia over alleged false drugs case, family claims pressure to join army

A man from Raipur who went to Russia for a job in September is allegedly being coerced by the Russian authorities to either join the Russian Army or face years in prison by being detained in a “false” drugs case, his family members claimed on Monday.

The man is being identified as Tikeshwar Sahu and his family have approached the Chief Minister’s Office of Chhattisgarh and other officials, asking for action to release and bring him to safety within India.

Manorama Sahu, his wife says Tikeshwar was arrested in Volgograd, Russia. She had written to the government for assistance in a letter to Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai earlier this month and claimed her husband found himself in a “serious situation” after he went to Russia for work.

The family alleges the state is putting Tikeshwar in a dilemma between joining the Russian army to fight in a war and serving a long jail term.

Police said it is a matter of investigation.

The case of the alleged rape stems from a similar case reported in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh in last fortnight. A 21-year-old man was allegedly arrested, tortured in Russia to compel him to fight.

The latest allegations have again caused serious concerns for citizens of India going on employment overseas and being reportedly entangled in the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. Now Tikeshwar’s family is hoping that the authorities in India, both the state and the Union Government urgently intervene to bring Tikeshwar back safely in the country.