A Delhi court has denied bail to a man accused of trafficking Indian citizens to Russia to be deployed on the battlefront in the war against Ukraine against their will, observing that the charges against him are serious and he could try to destroy evidence.

Special Judge Atul Krishna Agrawal denied relief to Mumbai resident Micheal Elangovan Anthony who claimed innocence.

“The allegations against the accused are grave and serious in nature. Enlarging the applicant on bail at this stage will hamper further investigation of the case. There is also a possibility that he may try to destroy the evidence which are yet to be obtained by the IO (investigating officer). The applicant may also assist the other accused persons in continuing to evade the process of law,” the judge said in an order passed on June 7.

The accused had sought bail claiming he was himself was a victim of the racket and falsely implicated in the case.

Anthony was arrested on April 26 and is in custody since then.

According to the CBI, the accused and his alleged accomplices trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting them jobs in the Russian army as security guards, helpers and the like in return for money.

The CBI alleged that the victims were “deceptively made to sign contract for joining Russian army”. They were trained in combat roles and provided Russian army uniform and badges.

These Indian nationals were then deployed in war zones against their wish and their lives were put in danger, the CBI alleged, adding that some of them also got grievously injured.

The alleged racketeers had also duped Indian students with the promise of securing for them admissions to dubious private universities in Russia. They offered them free discounted visa extensions, fee structure, etc. and left at the mercy of visa agents and college authorities, it alleged.

The passports of the victims of the alleged scam, the CBI claimed, were impounded by the agents upon their arrival in Russia.

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