A young man from Jalandhar has alleged that he was cheated by a travel agent who promised him a well-paying job in Russia.
But instead left him stranded in poor living conditions after he reached the country.
The youth shared his ordeal through five videos on social media, claiming that he and several others were abandoned in a forest and misled about the purpose of their travel.
The young man identified himself as Akashdeep, a resident of Ramnagar in Jalandhar and according to him, he left for Russia on June 15, 2026, after obtaining a visa through a Jalandhar-based agent identified as Pawan Kumar.
In the videos, Akashdeep said the agent had promised him a fruit-picking job in Moscow with a good salary, air-conditioned accommodation and proper food and believing these assurances, he travelled from Delhi to Moscow.
However, after reaching Russia, he claimed that none of the promises turned out to be true.
According to Akashdeep, he was received at Moscow Airport by a person said to be associated with the agent, instead of being taken to a workplace, he alleged that he and several other young men were transported to a forest area and left there.
He said he was the only person from Punjab in the group, while the others were from Haryana and Rajasthan, he also claimed that after walking through the forest, they eventually reached a place where they were made to stay.
In one of the videos, Akashdeep showed the room where they were living and alleged that around ten people were forced to stay in a small, broken room with bunk beds and described the place as being in a scrapyard-like area and said no one had informed them about what would happen next or where they would be taken.
He said the condition of the room was poor and that the bedding was dirty and also showed the toilet and claimed it was in a damaged condition, with a broken door, according to him, the living conditions were so bad that he wanted people back home to know the reality of what he was facing.
Akashdeep urged young people in Punjab not to trust agents who promise jobs in Russia without proper verification. He said he made the videos so that others would not fall into similar situations.
The youth further alleged that he had no way of leaving the forest on his own and claimed that when he asked the agent's associate why they were not being moved, he was told that payment had not yet been received, according to Akashdeep, they were informed that they would remain there until the money arrived.
He also claimed that the area was surrounded by dense forest, making it difficult for them to leave. Another allegation made by Akashdeep was that he had been promised a work visa, but after arriving in Russia he discovered that he had actually been issued a tourist visa.
According to him, when he questioned the agent about the visa, he was initially told that it could later be converted or extended, however, he claimed that when he raised the issue again, the agent allegedly told him that his responsibility ended once Akashdeep had reached Russian soil.
In the videos, Akashdeep also spoke about his family situation and said his mother was admitted to a hospital in Jalandhar while he remained stranded in Russia and expressed concern over being unable to return home during this difficult time.
He further alleged that several travel agents were working together to send young men to Russia on the promise of employment and according to him, many youths from Haryana and Rajasthan were also present at the location where he was staying.
Akashdeep claimed that these agents were deceiving unemployed young men by offering jobs and that many were eventually being recruited into the Russian army instead and urged people not to believe such promises and advised anyone planning to travel abroad for work to carefully verify all documents, visas and job offers before leaving India.