US Human Trafficking Case: 15 Women Found Living at Princeton House With No Furniture, Indian Couple Among 4 Arrested for Running Forced Labour Scheme
An Indian couple and two others have been arrested in the US state of Texas in connection with an alleged human trafficking case.
Princeton, July 9: Four Indians including a couple have been arrested in the US in connection with an alleged human trafficking case. The arrests were made after over a dozen of women were found living in a house in Princeton, Texas. According to a statement released by the Princeton Police on Monday, July 8, the women were forced to work for the Indian couple and programming shell companies owned by them.
According to a report by Fox 4, when a pest control company was called to take care of bugs at the couple's house, they noticed that each room had 3-5 women in dire conditions. There was no furniture in the house, and the women were forced to sleep on the floor. The company informed the Princeton Police about the situation in the house. Facebook, Instagram ‘Bleeding Ground’ for Child Predators Targeting Them for Human Trafficking, Grooming and Solicitation: US Lawsuit.
The investigation was initiated following the execution of a search warrant against NRI Santhosh Katkoori. During the search, officials encountered 15 women allegedly forced into labour by the suspects identified as Santhosh Katkoori (31), his wife Dwaraka Gunda (31), Chandan Dasireddy (24) from Melissa, and Anil Male (37). Authorities have not disclosed the specifics of the labour operations involved. It is suspected that hundreds of victims were forced to work for the gang. Princeton Police Sgt. Carolyn Crawford adds, "I can probably say over 100. Easily," Sex Trafficking in Tamil Nadu: Court Convicts Former Woman Teacher for Attempted Human Trafficking of Girl Students.
As reported by Hyderabad Mail, Princeton Police Chief James Waters said his team has been working leads with federal investigators for several months. "How we came across this situation was unique," he said. "Meanwhile, The neighbours were unaware of this labour trafficking going on. "What was going on before we even moved in here? It's kind of dark to think about," said neighbour Steven Watkins. "We had no idea about anything."
The police are actively investigating and anticipate filing additional charges against several individuals. They urge anyone with information regarding the trafficking operation or potential victims to reach out to the Princeton Police Department.
Women and Child Helpline Numbers:
Childline India – 1098; Women’s Helpline – 181; National Commission for Women Helpline – 112; National Commission for Women Helpline Against Violence – 7827170170; Police Women / Senior Citizen Helpline – 1091/ 1291; Missing Child and Women – 1094.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2024 02:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).