Four people of Indian origin, including a woman, have been charged with allegedly running a human labour trafficking scheme out of a home in Texas.
As many as 15 women were found to be working as forced labour. The nationalities of the women have not been disclosed.
The accused have been identified as Santhosh Katkoori (31), his wife Dwaraka Gunda (31), Dasireddy Chandan (24), and Anil Male (37).
Three of them, including the couple, are of Telugu origin. Princeton police said they were charged with trafficking of persons and second-degree felony.
A police investigation began in March after a pest control company was called to Katkoori’s home in March to tackle a bed bug infestation.
The pest control team grew suspicious after noticing that five women were accommodated in each room, and sleeping on the floor.
Princeton police officers arrived at their residence in Ginsburg Lane, Collin County, on March 13 after they were tipped off about a “welfare concern”. “It was found that the women were forced to work for Katkoori as programmers in shell companies owned by him and his wife Dwaraka,” police said.
During the search, police found multiple laptops, cellphones, printers, and fraudulent documents and seized them. Police said they also came across forced labour of victims, including adult males, at multiple locations in the Princeton, Melissa and McKinney regions. More gadgets and documents were seized subsequently from these places.
Police said that once all electronic gadgets were examined and details of the operations confirmed, arrest warrants were issued on Monday, police said.
Princeton police said the investigation is continuing and there could be more people involved. Police, however, have not revealed where the women came from or whether they were part of the racket.
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