Four Indians were arrested in Princeton, New Jersey, on charges of human trafficking. Authorities uncovered a forced labour operation running out of Collin County after responding to a welfare call. The Princeton Police Department has now released details of the investigation, although the arrests were made earlier this year in March.
On March 13, police responded to a welfare call about a “suspicious circumstance” at a home on the 1000 block of Ginsburg Lane. A pest control company inspecting the house for possible bed bugs informed the authorities that “each room… had 3-5 young females sleeping on the floors.”
Princeton Police Sgt. Carolyn Crawford stated that over a dozen people were involved in the forced labour scheme. “I can probably say over 100. Easily,” she said, adding that more than half of them are victims, according to Fox 4. The four arrested individuals are Chandan Dasireddy, 24; Dwaraka Gunda, 31; Santhosh Katkoori, 31; and Anil Male, 37, all charged with trafficking of persons.
Princeton Police Arrest Four Telugus in Major Human Trafficking Operation; More Arrests Anticipated
Princeton Police Department has apprehended four individuals from Telugu states in connection with a large-scale human trafficking scheme. The arrests follow the discovery of… pic.twitter.com/FhouKVA0Ad
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) July 9, 2024
The victims included both men and women who were working as programmers. Although the authorities didn’t reveal the exact nature of the alleged shell companies, they seized multiple laptops, phones, printers, and fraudulent documents during the search of the house.
Princeton Police Chief James Waters, who had been working on this case for several months, said, “How we came across this situation was very unique,” adding, “They would unravel just a multitude of other clues and a multitude of other scenes that was going out there.” The investigation also uncovered several other locations in Princeton, Melissa, and McKinney involved in forced labour operations.
Authorities remain committed to dismantling the forced labour network and bringing justice to the victims.
