The deceased, Rameya, was the son of A Limaya and a resident of Madhabandha village in Ganjam district. He had travelled to Russia in March after securing employment through a private recruitment firm, Micon Agency, which operates at Haripur Chowk under the jurisdiction of Golanthara Police Station.
According to family members, Rameya joined the company in April along with seven other youths from Odisha. On Saturday night, the company's premises in the Moscow region came under a drone attack reportedly carried out by Ukraine. More than seven workers sustained injuries in the strike. Rameya suffered fatal injuries, while two others were also hurt.
The family received the news of his death on Sunday. On Monday, Rameya's relatives approached the grievance cell of the Ganjam District Collector at Chikiti and appealed to the district administration to facilitate the return of his mortal remains to his native village.
For Rameya's brother, Anjarana Ganesh, the sorrow was compounded by anger over the conduct of the recruitment agency. He alleged that Micon Agency failed to inform the family about the drone attack and initially denied having any information about Rameya's condition.
"When we asked the agency about my brother, they first expressed ignorance. When more people from our village went there later on Sunday, they told us about his death," Ganesh told NDTV over the telephone.
Ganesh said the family first learned of the incident from another young man from a nearby village who was also employed in Moscow. "I last spoke to Rameya on Friday night and could not reach him on Saturday. We came to know about his death on Sunday after a youth from our nearby village, who also works in Moscow, called us to convey the message," he said.
Ganjam District Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida confirmed that the administration had initiated efforts to bring Rameya's body back to Odisha. "We have received information regarding the unfortunate death of Rameya in Moscow. We contacted the office of the Resident Commissioner in Delhi. The Resident Commissioner is contacting the Indian Embassy through diplomatic channels as per protocol to bring his mortal remains to Odisha," the Collector told reporters.
The incident has drawn attention to the risks faced by Indian workers employed abroad in conflict-affected regions and has raised serious concerns over the responsibility of recruitment agencies to maintain communication with families during emergencies. As diplomatic efforts continue, Rameya's family in Madhabandha village waits for his final journey home.
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