'Was given electric shocks, forced to eat beef': Haryana youth returns from Russia, shares ordeal

A 25-year-old youth, Deepak, a resident of Haryana, has returned to his family after spending over three months in, what he described as, "hell-like conditions" in a Russian jail. Deepak visited Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab to thank Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, whose efforts helped secure his release.

Describing the torture he faced, Deepak said for three days at a police station in Moscow, he was given only water to drink. Whenever he sought permission to go to the toilet, the police would give him electric shocks. He was subjected to electric shocks twice a week.

He said he had left for Moscow in April, 2025. A travel agent had taken Rs 4 lakh from him with the promise of arranging a job in a company with a salary of Rs 90,000 per month. However, after working for a month in the company, when he asked for salary, he was dismissed. Later, the travel agent arranged another job in a company located about 500 km away. After working there for a month, he was given only Rs 5,000. He was unable to pay rent for his room, following which the landlord took away his passport and handed him over to the police.

After being kept in the police station for three days, he was sent to an immigration detention jail, where many young men from various countries were detained. There were around 150 Indians, most of whom were from Punjab and Haryana.

He also said boiled beef was served for lunch and dinner. Since none of the Indians consumed it, they survived mainly on bread.

His release became possible when his family contacted Seechewal on February 2. Deepak returned to his family on February 17.

Seechewal has appealed to the people of Punjab not to fall prey to fraudulent agents. “In the pursuit of going abroad, many youths are falling into the trap of fraudulent agents. In several countries, the situation is very dangerous, and our young people are forced to suffer severe hardships there. People must avoid going abroad through illegal or suspicious means,” he added.