US prosecutors charge five Indians in human trafficking, forced labour case

In a major federal crackdown on human trafficking, US prosecutors have charged five members of an Indian family who own a hotel in Nebraska. They are accused of running a trafficking network involving forced labour and the exploitation of undocumented workers.

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the defendants are accused of coercing both adults and children into gruelling, unpaid labour under threats of deportation and violence, exposing systemic vulnerabilities within the low-wage service sector across the country.

“This case is about a family business built on human exploitation,” said US Attorney Susan Lehr for the District of Nebraska. 

“The defendants allegedly profited by compelling vulnerable victims, including children, to work for little or no pay under threat and coercion.”

The five individuals charged, Kentakumar Chaudhari, Rashmi Ajit Samani, Amit Prahladbhai Chaudhari, Amit Babubhai Chaudhari, and Maheshkumar Chaudhari, allegedly ran multiple hotel properties where undocumented migrants were forced to work in degrading and hazardous conditions.

As detailed by the DOJ, victims were made to labour in “unclean, unsafe conditions, sometimes in the very hotels where they were forced to work.” 

The individuals were compelled to work “long hours, seven days a week, in exchange for little or no pay” and were “threatened with arrest, deportation, and harm to their families if they refused to work.”

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Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed search warrants on August 12 at several properties across Nebraska, including AmericInn (Omaha), The Inn (formerly Super 8, Omaha), The New Victorian Inn (Omaha), and Roadway Inn (Bellevue).

The DOJ confirmed these sites were “used as part of a conspiracy to commit forced labour” and that the accused “conspired to harbour undocumented non-citizens for the purposes of commercial advantage and private financial gain.”

In total, 27 victims were rescued during the raids: “Ten minor children under the age of 12 from the forced labour scheme, and 17 adult victims from the same criminal conspiracy.”

If convicted, the five Nebraska defendants face decades in federal prison. The investigation remains active, with prosecutors and federal agencies continuing to identify additional victims and potential co-conspirators.

The DOJ has urged any individuals with knowledge of trafficking activities or potential victims to come forward, underscoring the importance of public awareness in fighting human exploitation.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division condemned the exploitation of minors, stating: “No child should ever be forced into labour. We will use every tool available to bring to justice those who exploit the most vulnerable members of our society.”

The Nebraska case comes amid a broader national initiative to dismantle human trafficking operations across the US, with federal authorities intensifying efforts to identify and prosecute perpetrators exploiting migrant workers and children.

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The international dimension of the case has drawn attention as well, particularly in light of India’s standing in the 2024 US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. 

India was placed on Tier 2, with the report noting that while the government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” it “is making significant efforts to do so.”

The report cited ongoing concerns related to “forced labour, sex trafficking in religious and tourist destinations, and the exploitation of children, including in the context of child sex tourism.”

US officials have emphasised the importance of international cooperation in combating trafficking, especially as Indian nationals continue to be among those most vulnerable in global low-wage labour sectors.