On July 5, 1940, Emanoil Catelli was arrested by the operative group of NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs), forces of Bălți for the anti-revolutionary activity, and on 6 August he was transferred to the Chișinău prison. The NKVD group was afraid of his escape and they proceeded, as usual, in a secretive manner. First, they arrested him and then carried out all the proceedings. An arrest warrant did not exist because there were not enough forms. With the beginning of military operations for the liberation of Bessarabia from Romania, Emanoil Catelli was transferred deep inside the Soviet Empire, reaching Tatarstan. Thus, in 1942 Catelli was brought to Kazan. During the interrogations, Emanoil Catelli said that he did not regret the actions he had taken earlier, and that he would always resist Bolshevism.