Three held for assaulting, trafficking fellow Indian in U.S.

One of the accused, Venkatesh Sattaru Reddy, is said to be connected to a political party based in Andhra Pradesh

Three men of Indian origin were charged by St Charles County authorities in the US state of Missouri for trafficking, contributing to human trafficking, and misuse of documentation, among other charges.

The victim, a 20-year-old Indian, who was subjected to assault for about a year, is a relative of one of the prime accused, was rescued by the police and is in the hospital for treatment, according to officials.

The accused have been identified as Venkatesh Sattaru Reddy, 35, who is said to be connected to a political party based in Andhra Pradesh. The other two, who are in their twenties, are Sravan Varma Penumetcha and Nikhil V Penmatsa. According to authorities, the victim is Venkatesh’s cousin.

Speaking to the media, St Charles County prosecuting attorney Joe McCulloch listed the charges against the accused, which also included kidnapping and accessory to assault in the first degree. Withholding the name of the victim, he said that he arrived in USA about a year ago on a student visa.

The prosecuting attorney said that the victim has several broken bones, including those of hands fingers and ribs, and that they are in different stages of healing. He is likely to be in hospital for the next few days. He said that the victim was beaten, stomped on, kicked, beaten with an electrical wire and PVC pipes. “He has also got scarring literally from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, where he has been beaten with this wire,” he said.

Venkatesh would allegedly call the other two accused to beat the victim. The beatings would be more forceful in case the accused felt that the victim wasn’t in enough pain.

The victim would always be monitored. While he was allowed to make calls to his mother, it would only be in the presence of one of the three accused. No video calls and FaceTime calls were allowed, Mr McCulloch said.