There were also "large amounts of suitcases".
Four US Indian people were arrested in Princeton, Texas, in connection with a human trafficking case.
Princeton Police arrested Chandan Dasireddy, Santhosh Katkoori, Dwaraka Gunda and Anil Male for allegedly running a “forced labour” scheme in Colin County in Princeton.
Officers were dispatched to a home on the 1000 block of Ginsburg Lane on March 13, 2024, after someone reported a welfare concern and a “suspicious circumstance”.
During the investigation, Princeton Police obtained a search warrant for Katkoori’s home.
Inside the home, police discovered 15 adult women who they said were forced to work for several shell companies owned by Katkoori and his wife, Dwaraka Gunda.
The women were found to be sleeping on the floor.
There were also “large amounts of suitcases”.
Investigators said the victims, which included both women and men, were working as programmers and that during the search of the home on Ginsburg Lane, several laptops, phones, printers, and fraudulent documents were seized.
Princeton Police said they later learned multiple locations in the cities of Princeton, Melissa, and McKinney were involved in the forced labour operation.
Officers subsequently seized more laptops, phones and documents from other locations.
The police statement did not include the addresses of those other locations or details about the nature of the programming work done for the couple’s alleged shell companies.
Investigators conducted an analysis of all the electronics seized and the nature of the operation was confirmed.
Afterwards, police issued arrest warrants to the four US Indian suspects.
They were subsequently charged with trafficking of persons.
Police identified the US Indian suspects as 31-year-old Santhosh Katkoori, of Melissa; 31-year-old Dwaraka Gunda, of Melissa; 24-year-old Chandan Dasireddy, of Melissa; and 37-year-old Anil Male, of Prosper.
Princeton Police Sergeant Carolyn Crawford said that over a dozen people are involved in the forced labour scheme.
She added:
“I can probably say over 100. Easily.”
Princeton Police Chief James Waters, who had been working on this case for several months, said:
“How we came across this situation was very unique.
“They would unravel just a multitude of other clues and a multitude of other scenes that was going out there.”
It’s unclear if any of the four charged have obtained attorneys to speak on their behalf.
Princeton police said further charges of multiple parties are still pending as this investigation continues.
Anyone with information about the labour trafficking operation or who was a victim of human/labour trafficking is asked to call the Princeton Police Department at 972-736-3901 or dial 911 immediately.
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