Andhra man, 2 others arrested in US for slavery; accused claims to be YSRCP legal coordinator

United States: A 35-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the United States on charges of human trafficking for purposes of slavery, kidnapping, abuse through forced labor, and multiple other charges.

He has been identified as Venkatesh Reddy Sattaru. According to the investigation that started in Defiance, Missouri on Wednesday, Venkatesh and two other men 27-year-old Nikhil V Penmatsa and 23-year-old Sraban Penumetcha were also arrested.

Venkatesh Reddy hails from a renowned business family in Vinukonda Town in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh. His social media bio says Venkatesh is a co-founder of the YSR Aasara Foundation and a YSRCP state coordinator for the legal cell.

The victim was the cousin of Sattaru Venkatesh and came to the US on a study visa. However, he did not attend any University and was restricted to home.

Sattaru Venkatesh was charged with trafficking for slavery, contributing to human trafficking, abuse through forced labor, kidnapping, domestic assault armed criminal action.

According to the US-based media agencies, the investigation started after a concerned citizen reported abuse at a home on Highway D in Defiance. They saw the victim at a restaurant recently and he was in an anxious state. The concerned citizen went over and gave the victim his number. They started communicating over WhatsApp in the past few days and on Wednesday, the victim reached out saying they needed help.

When alerted, police went to the residence. However, were initially denied entry by the homeowner. Later they remained in the area.

"He has scarring, literally, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet," St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch said in a press conference.

Once the victim was alone, he was savagely beaten daily.

The victim said these beatings took place in three separate locations in Dardenne Prairie, O’Fallon, and Defiance, Missouri, at residences owned by Venkatesh from April of 2023 to November of 2023.

The victim said his daily life included enduring severely limited food rations, sleep deprivation, and “brutal assaults.”

According to the probable cause statement, he had to complete morning and evening chores, work online for Sattaru's IT company, give Sattaru two-hour massages, and was only allowed to sleep for three hours each day. At night, he was locked in an unfinished basement and forced to sleep on the concrete floor, while being watched by a video surveillance camera.

"If he failed to complete any of the tasks, he would be beaten. The suspects used electrical wire, PVC piping, and metal rods. Also, Venkatesh administered most of the beatings himself, but also directed Penmatsa and Penumetcha to beat the victim as well," said the police.

"Sattaru would sometimes call the other two defendants in this case and have them beat the victim over a live feed to him so he could watch it. And if he didn't hear the victim screaming in enough pain, he would have them beat him harder," McCulloch said.

The victim now remains in the hospital with broken ribs, and broken bones in his arms, legs, hands, and feet. And lost more than 30 pounds of body weight since arriving in the United States. He was able to call his family in India on Thursday morning.

All three accused are being held without bond due to concerns that they could flee the country.

When NewsMeter spoke to P. Sudhakar Reddy, Additional Advocate General, Government of Andhra Pradesh about Venkatesh being part of YSRCP, he said he was unaware of Venkatesh Reddy being part of the party. He said he has not heard his name before.