Indian couple found guilty of keeping two women slaves

Indian couple found guilty of keeping two women slaves
May face 40 years in prison
Parhlad Kumar Aggarwal 18/12/2007 6:12:48 PM(IST)

The wealthy Long Island (US) based couple accused of keeping two women from Indonesia as slaves has been found guilty. Indian-born Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, and his wife, Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 45, could face up to 40 years in prison. They were found guilty on 12 charges, which included involuntary servitude, harbouring aliens and forced labour.

The couple''s lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict. The wealthy couple, who run a perfume business and have four children, had brought the women to their large house to work as housekeepers, and forced them to work up to 18 hours per day. The couple were arrested after one of the women was found wandering the streets dressed only in trousers and a towel.

More on the prosecution's case:


They described how the two Indonesian women had been punished for misbehaviour such as sleeping late and stealing food from the dustbin to supplement their meagre meals.

The women said they had been beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, made to take freezing showers and climb stairs repeatedly.

One said she had been forced to eat several hot chillies and then her own vomit.
The Indian-born couple were arrested last week after one of the women escaped from their Long Island home. They pleaded not guilty to forced labour and harbouring illegal migrants.

US District Judge Thomas Platt said the couple could be released from police custody on payment of bail set at $3.5m (£1.7m).

They were to be confined to their home, and subject to 24-hour surveillance, telephone wiretaps and physical searches, the judge ruled.

The couple, who run a perfume business, were arrested after one of the women was found wandering the streets dressed in only trousers and a towel.

It is thought she escaped when she took rubbish out for collection the previous night. The couple also refused to pay the women directly, sending only $100 (£50) a month to a relative in Indonesia, officials said.

The women, identified as Nona and Samirah, arrived in the US legally in 2002 but had their passports confiscated by the Sabhanis, officials said. Their visas have since expired.

The couple also refused to pay the women directly, sending only $100 (£50) a month to a relative in Indonesia, officials said.

The women, identified as Nona and Samirah, arrived in the US legally in 2002 but had their passports confiscated by the Sabhanis, officials said. Their visas have since expired.