“Slavery” Woman Varsha Sabhnani Gets 11 Years

New York couple Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 46, and her husband Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, imprisoned two Indonesian women, identified only as Nona and Samirah, in 2002 and kept them as slaves. This has been against the law in New York for a very long time so they're both going to jail, specifically on charges of forced labour, peonage, harbouring aliens, document servitude and conspiracy. (Peonage is a form of bonded labor whereby loans are paid off with labor instead of currency or goods.)

The Indian-born couple are also said to have beat the women with brooms, umbrellas and slashed them with knives. They reportedly made them take freezing showers, climb stairs repeatedly and forced them to eat several hot chillies then eat their own vomit.

Prosecutors describe the case as “modern-day slavery.”

Varsha and Mahender were arrested after one of the women was picked up wandering the streets dressed in only pants and a towel.

Lawyers for the accused are saying that the Indonesian women the couple enslaved were witchcraft practitioners and may have abused themselves, adding that they could have left any time they wanted but didn’t.

This might be due to the fact that their passports were confiscated by the Sabhnanis and their visas had expired, but who knows. 

"I was brought to this earth to help people who are in need," said Varsha at her sentencing.

The wealthy couple have a perfume business and four children. The husband has yet to be sentenced but is expected to receive lighter treatment.

Photo: AP