Bed bug inspection leads to arrests over human trafficking and forced labour scheme

In Princeton – Texas, currently, four individuals from India are kept in detention over human trafficking. This was only after police managed to raid and rescue 15 women who were working against their free will. Police chanced on this state of affairs – via a pest issue firm.

How the Crime Was Discovered

In March, a pest control team went to a house to deal with bed bugs. What they saw made them worried:

– Five women were sleeping on the floor in each room

– The living conditions seemed very poor

The pest control workers told the police about what they saw.

Who Was Arrested?

1. Santhosh Katkoori (31 years old)

2. Dwaraka Gunda (31 years old) – Santhosh’s wife

3. Dasireddy Chandan (24 years old)

4. Anil Male (37 years old)

The police said they were charged with trafficking of persons and second-degree felony.

What Are They Accused Of?

– Forced women to work as computer programmers

– Made the women work for fake companies

– Kept the women in bad living conditions

– Took away the women’s freedom

What Did the Police Find?

When the police searched the houses, they found:

– Many laptops and mobile phones

– Printers

– Fake documents

What Happens Next?

This case has not yet been solved by the police. They presume that perhaps more people are implicated in this crime. They have not explained if the women were forced where the women are from or whether anyone deceived them into coming to the U.S.

A Bigger Problem

This case reveals a bigger issue in the United States of America. This U.S. Department of State believes that each year, between 15,000 – 18,500 individuals are smuggled and forced to labor in the United States of America illegally. This is a new type of slavery that many people are going through.