Duped on pretext of jobs abroad, two men abandoned in Russia for days

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Two men from Uttar Pradesh were allegedly duped of Rs 4.5 lakh on the promise of lucrative jobs in Russia and later left there stranded in the country without food or shelter, police said on Tuesday.

On July 1, both victims were first sent to Kazakhstan and later transported to Omsk, Russia, where they were abandoned. "There were no jobs, no accommodation and they had to survive for days without proper food and shelter," a senior officer said.

"Eventually, they managed to contact their families, who sent them money for tickets. The two returned to India on July 17," the officer added.

Instead of genuine work permits, they were allegedly given tourist visas for the Russia visit, police said.

Nizamuddin, a resident of Badarpur in Delhi, and his associate Premchand, allegedly lured the victims with fake job offer letters of a purported Russia-based company.

The complainant, 45-year-old Pramod Chauhan from Maharajganj district in Uttar Pradesh, works as a mason and had previously spent nearly 18 years in Saudi Arabia in the same profession. During that period, he came into contact with Nizamuddin and reconnected with him earlier this year to explore opportunities abroad, police said.

"Trusting him, Chauhan agreed to pay money for a job in Russia. He was even handed an agreement and appointment letter on June 30. His neighbour, Gautam Sahni, also agreed to join after Chauhan told him about the offer," the officer said.

Investigations revealed that the accused took Rs 50,000 in cash and Rs 4.05 lakh through online transfers from the two men.

A case has been registered by the Delhi Police Crime Branch following a complaint from one of the victims. PTI SSJ SKY SKY