A millionaire couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves in their luxurious New York home for years - viciously inflicting abuse for perceived offences - have been indicted on federal slavery charges.
Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 35, and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, who operate a worldwide perfume business out of their home in Long Island, New York, with factories in Singapore and Bahrain, were arrested last week after one of their servants was found wandering outside a doughnut shop.
Naturalised US citizens from India, they had their passports confiscated when they were arrested.
The indictment, handed up last night, charges the couple with two counts of forced labour and two counts of harbouring illegal residents. The Sabhnanis will be arraigned on the indictment on Thrusday.
A magistrate judge in the US District Court in Central Islip set bail last week at $US3.5 million ($4.28 million). Friends and relatives of the couple indicated they would be willing to post bail on their behalf, but as of this morning, the pair remained in custody.
Full Story: SMH . COM . AU
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