In yet another case of labour trafficking, an Indian-American couple has been sent to prison by a US court for forcing their relative to work at their gas station and convenience store for over three years, after bringing him to the United States under the pretense of helping him enroll in school.
False Promises and Coercion
During the trial, evidence showed that in 2018, Singh and Kaur deceived the victim, who was a minor at the time, into traveling from India to the US by falsely promising to help him enroll in school. After his arrival, they took his immigration documents and forced him to work at Singh’s store for over three years, from March 2018 to May 2021. The victim was compelled to work 12 to 17 hours a day, nearly every day, performing tasks such as cleaning, cooking, stocking, and handling the cash register and store records, all for minimal pay.
Harmanpreet Singh received a sentence of 135 months in prison while Kulbir Kaur received a sentence of 87 months. The court also ordered them to pay their victim, Singh’s cousin, USD 225,210.76 (approximately Rs 1.87 crores) in restitution. The couple has since been divorced.
Exploitation and Abuse
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated that after the defendants lured the victim to the US under false pretense, they later confiscated his immigration documents and subjected him to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce him into working long hours for minimal pay.
US Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia highlighted that the defendants preyed on the victim’s earnest desire for education and a better life, depriving him of basic human needs and freedom.
The couple used various coercive means, including confiscating the victim’s immigration documents, physical abuse, and degrading living conditions, to compel him to continue working in the US. They left the victim to sleep in a back office at the store for days, limited his access to food, denied medical care and education, monitored him with surveillance equipment, refused his requests to return to India, and made him overstay his visa.
Forced Marriage and Threats
The defendants also forced the victim to marry Kaur and used this marriage to threaten the victim with taking his family’s properties or falsely reporting him to the police if he left. Singh physically abused the victim by pulling his hair, slapping, and kicking him when he requested his immigration documents back or tried to leave. On three occasions, he threatened the victim with a revolver for attempting to take a day off or leave.
(With PTI Inputs)