Police in north Texas on Monday announced that four people have been charged with human trafficking after a welfare check in March revealed 15 women engaged in forced labor.
The Princeton Police Department said officers were dispatched to conduct a welfare check in response to "suspicious circumstance" at a residence on Ginsburg Lane at around 3 p.m. on March 13. Further investigation led detectives to obtain a search warrant for the residence of 31-year-old Santhosh Katkoori, where 15 women were found engaged in forced labor.
The women were found to be working for multiple programming shell companies owned by Katoori and his wife, 31-year-old Dwaraka Gunda. Officers seized multiple laptops, cell phones, printers, and fraudulent documents.
The investigation later led to multiple locations in Princeton, Melissa and McKinney where additional victims were engaged in forced labor, including male victims. The other locations were searched, and additional laptops, cell phones, and documents were seized.
Katoori, Gunda, 37-year-old Anil Male, and 24-year-old Chandan Dasireddy were all arrested and charged with second-degree felony trafficking of human persons.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges against "multiple parties" are pending.
--with reporting by TMX
