Police reported that more than 20 people were rescued in Kenya from a human trafficking group. The victims were lured with job offers in Russia but were intended to be sent to fight in Ukraine, the BBC reports, writes UNN.
Details
This followed an intelligence raid on a residential apartment on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi, where police officers seized recruitment materials, travel documents, and job offer letters.
One suspect, accused of coordinating the victims' trips to Russia in September and October, was arrested. He was brought to court and detained for 19 days while police complete their investigation.
Authorities stated that Wednesday's arrest followed a coordinated inter-agency security operation targeting a criminal network that extorted huge sums from Kenyan job seekers.
A total of 22 Kenyans were found in an apartment in the Athi River area, "awaiting processing to Russia."
Detectives reported that the victims said they had signed contracts with an unnamed overseas employment agency, committing to pay up to $18,000 (13,000 pounds sterling) for visas, travel, accommodation, and other logistical services. Some victims also indicated that they had already made deposits of $1,500.
According to the police, after recruitment, many return home injured, traumatized, and in some cases, never return.
Law enforcement agencies in the country are generally increasingly concerned about the growing number of Kenyans being trafficked abroad under false promises of work.
Recently, a young Kenyan athlete was captured in Ukraine, who claimed he was tricked into joining the Russian army.
"I am Kenyan, don't shoot" - an athlete who says he was tricked into joining the Russian army.
A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently stated that the Kenyan government is investigating reports of several Kenyan citizens who were allegedly transported to Russia and are now being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, and Sri Lanka, among others, are currently held in Ukrainian POW camps, Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine's spokesperson for the treatment of POWs, recently told the BBC.
However, speaking about other prisoners of war, he added that "most African states have little interest in the return of such citizens and are unwilling to accept them back."
Addition
The Kenyan government has launched an investigation into the possible sale of its citizens into slavery for the Russian army. This happened after a Kenyan athlete, having been tricked into signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.