Police: St. Charles County suspects lured cousin to U.S. on promise of education, trapped him in basement and subjected him to slave labor for a year

By Caroline Hecker

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    ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Missouri (KMOV) — Three St. Charles County men are in custody after police say they lured a family member to the United States from India under false pretenses, enslaving him over the course of the last year.

Venkutesh Sattaru, 35, Nikhil Penmatsa, 27, and Sravan Penumetcha, 23, are charged with trafficking for purposes of slavery/involuntary servitude or forced labor, contributing to human trafficking-misuse of documentation, accessory domestic assault 1st degree, armed criminal action and kidnapping and abuse through forced labor. All are being held on no bond due to high political influence and wealth in India, according to investigators.

St. Charles County Police responded to a home in the 3900 block of Highway D on Wednesday after a concerned citizen called to report a man who looked in need of help outside the home. When officers arrived and knocked on the door, police said the victim, a 20-year-old man, opened the door and ran outside, pleading to be helped. Shortly thereafter, police said Penmatsa and Penumetcha came to the door, refusing to allow officers in. They were taken into custody and the home was processed by investigators, who later arrested Sattaru. According to St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch, Sattaru is considered the primary suspect and is cousins with the victim.

Based on conversations and subsequent interviews with the victim, investigators believe he came to the U.S. on a student visa last year in hopes of attending college. According to the victim, the three family members indicated they would sponsor his time in the U.S. Once he arrived, investigators said he was kept in the basement of several homes owned by Sattaru, including one on Highway D and another in Dardenne Prairie and O’Fallon. The victim told investigators he was forced to work at Sattaru’s company along with other menial tasks around the home. When he did not complete the tasks to the defendants’ liking, he was beat with their fists, kicked, stomped on and whipped with an electrical wire. The victim reported several instances in which he lost consciousness. He was also sleep deprived and starved, according to investigators.

The victim is recovering in the hospital, where he is being evaluated for injures and fractures to his hands, fingers, feet, arms, nose and ribs. He is also being treated for open cuts and scarring covering his entire body.

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