Couple enslaved immigrant, forced him to work 15-hour shifts without pay, CA cops say

A Gilroy couple have been charged with human trafficking and are accused of enslaving an immigrant man from India, keeping him locked in a liquor store and forcing him to work 15-hour shifts without pay, prosecutors say.

Amarjit and Balwinder Mann, both 66, are accused of forcing the man to sleep in a storage room and threatening him with deportation if he told the police, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. The couple are charged with human trafficking, wage theft involving four people, and witness intimidation and could face prison time if convicted.

“Slavery officially was abolished in 1865,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Tragically, we are seeing examples of it in 2020. My Office will prosecute anyone to the fullest extent of the law who practices this kind of criminal and inhumane exploitation.”

The District Attorney’s Office said the Manns stole more than $150,000 in wages from the victim and three other people. The Manns own a liquor store and market and “engaged in predatory recruitment of their workers from India and lured them with promises of travel and financial independence.”

The victim, who investigators said was discovered by an Alcoholic Beverage Control inspection in February, appeared to be living in a storage room in the store. Investigators said there was a mattress over milk crates, a desk with folded clothes, and a mop sink, where it was discovered the victim had been bathing.

The man thought he would be traveling to the U.S. with the Manns and immigrated from India in 2019, but the couple allegedly took his passport and money and forced him to work without a key to leave the store at night, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Authorities said two other men worked at the liquor store and one at the market and they told agents that they were “paid a pittance” and “worked marathon hours.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Couple enslaved immigrant, forced him to work 15-hour shifts without pay, CA cops say."