Worries have mounted for the family members of two Kashmiris who were allegedly conned into fighting for the Russian army against Ukraine following reports that a Gujarati youth has died in the war.

The family of 23-year-old Hamil Mangukiya from Surat has told the media that they received the information about his death a few days ago.

Azad Ahmad Kumar, 31, from Awantipora in Pulwama and Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, 28, from Hajinar in Kupwara are among a dozen men from India who have allegedly been conned into fighting for Russia after being promised jobs in Dubai.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), which is spearheading a campaign for their repatriation, said the Indian embassy in Russia has promised to help them.

Azad’s elder brother Sajad Ahmad Kumar said the government’s assurances were comforting but reports of the death of the Gujarati youth had increased their worry.

“My brother used to call us occasionally but there has been no contact with him since last evening. There are some issues with the network. We are obviously worried after we learnt a man from Gujarat, who was part of my brother’s group, has died. We pray they are all safe and are repatriated soon,” Sajad told The Telegraph.

He said senior government officers and politicians visited their home on Tuesday and promised help.

Sajad said his brother had suffered injuries on his foot after his rifle accidentally went off during training on January 14.

“He was shifted to a hospital but recently he was moved to some other place which involves a 36-hour travel (by road). Last time we spoke, he told us he is still limping but fears he might be taken to the frontline,” Sajad said.

Sajad said around a dozen families from India, including two from Kashmir, had allegedly been conned into fighting for Russia.

“We are all in touch through a WhatsApp group, which was created by three families from Hyderabad. Others joined later. There are families from Telangana, Bangalore, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir who are in the group,” he said.

“What we have learnt so far is that these dozen-odd men were taken to Russia in two groups. My brother was part of the second group. A YouTube channel named Baba Vlogs offered him a job in cooking and cleaning. My brother travelled from Mumbai to Chennai to the UAE. He was made to sign documents in Russian and was then provided tickets to Russia,” he said.

Mohammad Amin Sheikh, whose son Zahoor is missing, said efforts were on at a “high level” to get his son back along with the others.

“We have left it to God and pray for his return,” Sheikh said, refusing to share further information.

Former Hajinar sarpanch Jaffar Hussain, who is in touch with the Sheikh family, said the family has had no contact with Zahoor since December 31.

“He (Zahoor) had told his family that he is being taken to the border and won’t be able to talk for three months. The family told me that he was offered a job as a security guard in Russia but was taken to the front,” he said.

“He had left for Dubai on November 11 after which he was taken to Russia. The same YouTube channel, Baba Vlogs, had offered him a job.”

Nasir Khuehami, the convener of the JKSA, said hope of their repatriation had grown after the Indian embassy in Russia promised help.

“We had written to them and they wrote back that they have taken up the issue with the Russian authorities. Efforts are underway for their return,” he told this newspaper.

“Additionally, I spoke to lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha last evening. He also said that efforts are on. The LG has escalated the matter to the external affairs ministry for the earliest evacuation.”

India’s foreign ministry has acknowledged “that some Indian nationals have enlisted for support roles with the Russian army”.

“Each and every such case brought to the attention of the Indian embassy in Moscow has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities and those brought to the attention of the ministry have been taken up with the Russian embassy in New Delhi. Several Indians have already been discharged as a result,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.