Indian-American Couple Jailed for Exploiting Cousin in Forced Labor Scheme

An Indian-American couple who coerced their relative to work at a petrol station and convenience shop under false pretenses has been condemned to prison by a US court. While Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to 87 months (7.25 years), Harmanpreet Singh, 31, got a 135-month (11.25 year sentence. Additionally directed by the court was their payment of $225,210.76 in reparation to Singh’s cousin, the victim.

Now separated, the pair drew the victim to the US with promises of assisting in his enrollment in a university. Rather, they seized his immigration paperwork and made him labor long hours for meager money. The abuse was underlined by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who noted that the defendants coerced the victim using threats, physical force, and mental abuse.

“This sentence clearly expresses that forced labor is unacceptable,” Clarke said. US Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia also mentioned that the couple targeted the victim’s need for education and a better life, therefore depriving him of fundamental human rights and needs.

According to the Department of Justice, Singh and Kaur urged the victim—then a minor—to fly from India to the US. Arriving, they made him work for more than three years at their store, doing chores including cleaning, cooking, and cash register handling for up to 17 hours a day.

The defendants employed physical violence, threats, and poor living conditions as among their other forms of coercion. They further threatened the victim by making him marry Kaur, therefore imposing their influence. Singh threatened the victim with a handgun several times in addition to dragging her hair, slapping, and kicking her.