Samarjit Singh, a 21-year-old from Ludhiana, Punjab, left home for Russia last year with dreams of a better future. Eight months later, on Friday, his body arrived at his family home in the Daba area.
According to his family, Samarjit travelled to Russia in July 2025 through recruitment agents. They claim he was lured with promises of a high-paying job, but upon arrival, he was allegedly forcibly conscripted into the Russian army.
The family maintains that Samarjit received no military training before being sent directly to the front lines. His relatives last made contact with him in September 2025. Shortly after, he went missing in the war zone.
His remains arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Thursday and were transported to Ludhiana for his last rites, which were performed on Friday.
Standing beside his son's funeral pyre, Charanjit Singh made an emotional appeal to the public, urging parents not to send their children abroad based on the deceptive promises of agents.
Charanjit Singh, who runs a small grocery store in the Amarapuri area, struggled to hold back tears.
"I appeal to everyone: do not put your children's lives at risk out of the temptation to send them abroad through agents," he said. "No matter how dire your financial circumstances may be, do not take such a step. I have lost everything."
The family revealed they spent months pleading with officials for help after Samarjit went missing, but received no concrete assistance. His father remarked that Samarjit's decision to leave was driven solely by the desire to help the family. "Had there been employment opportunities here, my son would never have gone abroad. He went because he wanted to help us," he said.
The grieving father said, "We do not even know what happened to him in his final moments."
