A Uttar Pradesh engineer working in Russia has reportedly been arrested by local police, according to allegations made by his wife that have caused concern back home. Sneha Gupta claims her husband, engineer Chandan Gupta, who had travelled to Russia on a work visa, was taken into custody and is now being pressured by authorities to join the Russian army. She posted a video on social media appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure the safe return of her husband and herself to India, and the video has since gone viral.
According to details shared in her post, Chandan Gupta, a resident of Kanpur, had moved to Russia a few years ago with his family on a work visa, employed by a Noida-based company, and has since been living there with his wife Sneha and their 10-year-old son. Sneha alleged that Russian police arrested her husband around 12:30 pm on Sunday, though she was initially unable to ascertain the reason for his detention as she does not speak Russian. She said he was being held in custody despite having committed no offence.
Citing information from local residents, Sneha alleged that this was part of a broader effort by Russian authorities — facing a personnel shortage due to the war with Ukraine — to recruit foreign nationals into their armed forces, with police specifically pressuring her husband to enlist and fight against Ukraine. She reiterated her appeal to Indian authorities to help bring her family, including her young son, back home safely.
Following the video going viral, the Indian Embassy in Moscow responded promptly, stating that it had brought the matter to the attention of local authorities and was in touch with Sneha Gupta. The embassy said it was engaging with Indian Embassy channels in Russia to secure Chandan Gupta’s release.
The development comes against the backdrop of the nearly four-year-long Russia-Ukraine war, which shows no signs of ending soon. With Russian forces suffering heavy casualties, the country faces a shortage of soldiers, and there have been allegations that Russia has been luring Indians with job offers before enlisting them into its military. India has already responded to this issue, revealing that 227 Indians have joined Russia’s armed forces to date; of these, the Ministry of External Affairs said 139 have been released and repatriated, while 51 have died. The ministry added that India continues to engage with Russia to secure the release and return of the remaining Indians.