The men locked the student for more than seven months in a basement and made him sleep on an incomplete floor...
Digital Desk: As many as three men were taken into custody by the Missouri Police in the United States on suspicion of abducting and abusing a twenty-year-old Indian student. The rescued student is receiving medical treatment at a hospital for various bone fractures, as well as cuts and injuries over his body. He had traveled to the US from India last year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.
One of the student's cousins and two other men held him captive for over seven months without revealing his identity.
According to the authorities, he was abused, denied access to the washroom, and forced to work at three different houses.
A 'concerned citizen' who became aware of the situation reported about the situation, according to news agency PTI.
When the police arrived at the residence, which was situated on a remote St. Charles County route, they took the three accused into custody: Venkatesh R Sattaru (35), the primary suspect and the cousin of the Indian student; Sravan Varma Penumetcha (23), and Nikhil Verma Penmatsa (27). They have been accused of crimes such as assault, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
According to the police, the student was brought to Sattaru's house starting in April and made to do household chores, work a whole day for Sattaru's IT company, and then finish a list of tasks in the evening.
Additionally, they said that Sattaru would give the other two accusers instructions to beat the 20-year-old on a livestream by phone. Sattaru would give the order to strike the victim more forcefully if he did not scream loud enough.
Sattaru is a "wealthy, powerful man in India with political and law enforcement connections," the Indian student informed the police, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
According to the charges, the men locked the student for more than seven months in a basement and made him sleep on an incomplete floor without access to a bathroom. He ransacked nearby restaurant dumpsters for leftovers.
Further information was released by the police, who called the incident "absolutely inhumane and unconscionable".
Additionally, they claimed that Sattaru was the owner of the three separate residences in Defiance, Dardenne Prairie, and O'Fallon.
Investigators identified Sattaru as the mastermind who resided in the O'Fallon house with his spouse and children. He was also accused of assisting in human trafficking by misusing papers and transporting people for servitude.
The student was rescued from the residences of Penumetcha and Penmatsa.
The Indian student believed that the three would sponsor him for a student visa, according to a report published in the River Front Times. But he claimed they destroyed his passport. The student also informed authorities that he had very little food and was always under surveillance. According to the report, he slept for as little as three hours.
According to the authorities, the accused only let the student call his mother at home while they were present. He was never permitted to make video calls either.
The police briefed a conference, stating that they were first denied entry into the house. Eventually, though, the student emerged from the basement rushing.
According to the charges, he was trembling violently, severely scarred, and experiencing bruises and swelling all over his body.
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