Indian-American couple lures cousin with false US education promises, inflicts horrific exploitation

An Indian-American couple, who lured their cousin to the US with promises of education and later inflicted abuse on him by forcing him to labour, has now been convicted and faces hefty penalties. This comes after a two-week trial following which a federal jury in Virginia found the couple guilty of conspiracy to commit forced labour.

The couple has a convenience store where they coerced their cousin into providing labour and services.

Thirty-year-old Harmanpreet Singh and 43-year-old Kulbir Kaur now face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to USD 250,000, and mandatory restitution for the forced labour charge, media reports said.

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Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said that the couple played their cards on the victim's trust with US education promises and subjected him to physical and mental abuse.

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The Department of Justice revealed that Singh and Kaur used various coercive means.

The couple kept the living conditions of the cousin poor. In terms of labour, they tried to make their profits by pushing him to work for long hours with a minimum salary.

“These defendants engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victim with false promises of an education in the United States and instead subjecting him to gruelling hours, degrading living conditions, and a litany of mental and physical abuse,” said US Attorney Jessica D Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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As per federal prosecutors, the defendants lured the victim in 2018, when he was a minor.

They enchanted him to come to the United States with deceitful assurances of assisting him in enrolling in school.

Upon arrival, they seized his immigration documents and promptly compelled him to engage in labour.

According to court records, Singh physically assaulted the victim by pulling his hair. He used to slap and kick him whenever he would ask for his immigration documents in a bid to leave.

Additionally, on three separate occasions, Singh allegedly brandished a revolver to threaten the victim for wanting to take a day off and attempting to leave.

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“Forced labour and human trafficking are abhorrent crimes that have no place in our society, and I am grateful to our team of prosecutors, agents, and support staff for ensuring that justice was done in this case,” Aber said.

(With inputs from agencies)