Sahil left for Russia on July 25 after quitting his clerk's job with a transport company, where he earned a salary of Rs 15,000 per month.
Amritsar News: A family in Punjab’s Amritsar district is devastated after being unable to communicate for months with 35-year-old Sahil Sekhri, a qualified chef who was allegedly duped into joining the Russian Army.
According to a report by The Tribune, Sahil’s mother, Anita Sekhri (60), said she last spoke to her son on September 20. During their final conversation, Sahil told her that his three-month-long training had been cut short to just 15 days. He feared he would be deployed on the war front, despite being promised a helper’s job.
Anita Sekhri, a widow, said Sahil informed her that he received Rs 10 lakh instead of the promised Rs 15 lakh upon joining the army. He also told her that his personal phone had been confiscated during training.
According to the report, Sahil secretly procured an alternative mobile phone and SIM card after paying four times their actual cost. He also shared the phone numbers of two of his roommates with his mother.
The mother has alleged that her son fell victim to a “human trafficking racket”. She claimed that a travel agent pocketed Rs 5 lakh and lured Sahil with the promise of a monthly salary of Rs 2 lakh. She added that despite assurances of a work visa, the agent provided no assistance after meeting Sahil at Moscow airport.
Sahil left for Russia on July 25 after quitting his clerk’s job with a transport company, where he earned a salary of Rs 15,000 per month.
In 2016, Sahil went to Cyprus to study culinary arts and stayed there for five years, working as a chef. During that time, he sent Rs 25,000 per month to his family. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to return to India in 2021.
Unable to get more than Rs 12,000 salary as a chef, he joined a private transport company and served there for the next four years, the report said.
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