Mortal Remains of Fighter in Russia-Ukraine War Reach Hometown

The mortal remains of 28-year-old Mandeep Kumar from Goraya in Panjab have reached his hometown. Mandeep was duped by travel agents into joining the Russian army and lost his life in the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war. However, the family has refused to cremate the body until the Panjab Police arrests the local travel agent(s) who had sent him abroad. The family came to know about Mandeep’s death two months back after DNA samples provided by them matched with unidentified remains lying unclaimed in a Russian hospital. It is believed that Mandeep would have died in March 2024. At least eight agents were booked by the Goraya police in July 2025, but Mandeep’s brother Jagdeep Kumar says that none have been arrested so far. Jagdeep mentioned that his family had paid the agents more than USD 38,815 to send his brother to Italy. Mandeep, who had a congenital defect in his left leg, had gone to Armenia in search of a job in 2023. After reaching Moscow, Mandeep was sent onwards to St Petersburg and deeper into Russia en route to Italy via Finland. He and a few others were abandoned at a petrol pump without food and drink. Meanwhile, the Panjab woman Sarabjit Kaur who sparked a controversy after marrying a Pakistani man Nasir Hussain converting to Islam and naming herself Noor Hussain during the Sikh pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib, was brought to the Wagah border and was expected to be deported to India 5 Jan. However, the deportation has been stalled for now by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. Following Sarabjit’s marriage in Pakistan, former Member of Legislative Assembly Mahinder Pal Singh filed a petition in a Pakistan court seeking her arrest and deportation to India. The plea argued that Sarabjit had overstayed her visa and continued to remain in Pakistan illegally after the expiry of the permitted period. The petition claimed that her continued presence posed a threat to Pakistan’s internal security and alleged that she could be involved in suspicious activities. The court is yet to deliver a final ruling on these claims (earlier coverage).