Asfan, killed in Russia after duped by agents, buried in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, March 17 (IANS) The last rites of Mohammed Asfan, who died in the Russia-Ukraine war after being duped into working as a helper for the Russian Army, were performed in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Asfan, 30, whose body was brought to Hyderabad late on Saturday, was laid to rest at the graveyard adjacent to Masjid-e-Qutub Shahi in Bazar Ghat.

AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi attended the funeral prayers of Asfan and consoled the family members. Relatives, friends and other residents of the Bazar Ghat area participated in the last rites.

The mortal remains of Asfan were brought to his home in the Bazar Ghat area 10 days after the Indian Embassy in Moscow confirmed his death.

He is survived by his wife and two children – an eight-month-old daughter and a two-year-old son.

Asfan, who was working in a readymade garment shop, was duped by a job agent based in Dubai. He and two others went to Moscow via Sharjah in November last year after they were promised jobs as helpers in the Russian Army. They were promised Rs 30,000 per month initially, and the agent had also told them that they would later get Rs.1.5 lakh.

Asfan’s family grew suspicious after they were unable to contact him. They lodged a complaint with Hyderabad police and later approached Asaduddin Owaisi. The AIMIM President had on February 21 appealed to the Centre to take steps to bring back 12 Indians who were forced to fight Ukraine alongside the Russian Army. They included two youths from Telangana, three from Karnataka, two from Kashmir, and one each from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Hamil Mangukiya, 23, from Gujarat was killed in an airstrike on February 21 in the Donetsk region on the Russia-Ukraine border.

Owaisi had said three agents cheated unemployed youth by sending them to Russia to fight against Ukraine.

Faisal Khan, one of the agents, is in Dubai while Sufiyan and Puja are from Mumbai. Ramesh and Moin are Indian agents in Russia.

–IANS

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