H00 Labour

Techies as slaves? All about Indians-run programming racket in US https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/princeton-programming-racket-indians-arrested-human-trafficking-forced-labor-texas-javascript-jobs-2565377 -2024-07-11 Four Indians have been arrested for alleged human trafficking and forcing people to do programming work in shell companies in Texas, US. Fifteen women have been rescued, but police believe there could be 50 or more victims. Upon interviewing the rescued women, police found they believed they were on an internship to learn JavaScript programming, CBS News reported, citing police affidavits. The women would apply for jobs and, after landing one, would get their salaries credited to a company run by Katkoori and his wife. The company would charge a 20% commission for that, according to the report. A USA Today report says the women were being forced to work at multiple locations in Princeton and other nearby towns like Melissa and McKinney. Katkoori's lawyer, Jeremy Rosenthal, rejected the charges and criticised the Princeton police for their “shoot-first, aim-later” approach. “These workers were in the IT field and nothing about this was forced labour,” Rosenthal said in a statement released.