One of 30 Bangladeshis lured to Russia with job offer rescued, returning Sunday

One of at least 30 Bangladeshis who were allegedly deceived with promises of jobs and sent to Russia to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war has been rescued and arrangements have been made for his repatriation to Bangladesh.

The victim, Mohammad Rajon Hossain, was put on a flight to Bangladesh at around 9:30pm Moscow time on Friday.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, first secretary (labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow, confirmed the matter to the Daily Sun, saying Rajon’s repatriation was secured after completion of his immigration clearance.

“The entire post-rescue process was carried out under the supervision of the embassy,” he said.

According to the embassy, Rajon will reach Bangladesh via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. He is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 9:50am Bangladesh time on Sunday.

On 1 June, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment revoked the licences and confiscated the security deposits of three recruiting agencies — RS International (RL-1428), Jabal-e-Noor (RL-2505) and TS Overseas Ltd (RL-1755) — over allegations that they had fraudulently sent 30 Bangladeshi youths to Russia by luring them with promises of high salaries and various benefits.