Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday requested the central government to take steps to bring back Keralites who are stranded in Russia after being cheated in a job scam.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the chief minister also sought his intervention to bring back the body of Sandeep Chandran, a native of Thrissur, who died in a drone attack on the Russia-Ukraine border.

According to a statement from the chief minister's office, Vijayan informed Jaishankar that the Indian Embassy in Russia has confirmed that Sandeep's body is in Rostov, Russia.

The chief minister urged in the letter that arrangements be made to repatriate the body as soon as possible, it said.

Vijayan said that Keralites Santhosh Kattukalayil, Shanmukhan, Sibi Susamma Babu, and Renin Punnekkel Thomas are stranded in a military camp in Luhansk, where they face dangerous circumstances.

Their immediate rescue is necessary, he emphasised.

He also noted that these individuals had entered Russia illegally and were subsequently deployed to the war front.

In his letter, Vijayan called for an investigation into the number of people trapped in Russia through unauthorised recruitment agencies and individuals.

He urged the Centre to take immediate action to rescue those who have been cheated and trapped.

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