4 charged with human trafficking crimes after 15 women found in North Texas home
Four North Texas residents have been charged with human trafficking crimes after authorities said they found evidence connecting the suspects to shell companies that employed forced labor.
On March 13, Princeton police officers responded to a residence in the 1000 block of Ginsburg Lane for a welfare check and “suspicious circumstance,” Princeton Police Department officials said in a news release Monday. What they found in the home of Santhosh Katkoori prompted further investigation and led to a search warrant being issued.
Fifteen women were found in the house, according to the release. Investigators said they learned that the women were forced to work for several programming shell companies owned by Katkoori and his wife, Dwaraka Gunda.
Officials also seized cell phones, multiple laptops, printers and fraudulent documents while executing the warrant at Katkoori’s house, the release said.
Investigators determined several other locations in Princeton, Melissa and McKinney were employing men and women for forced labor. Additional cell phones, laptops and documents were seized from those locations, according to the release.
Officials examined the electronic devices and confirmed the details of the forced labor operation, the release stated. Arrest warrants were issued for 31-year-old Katkoori, 31-year-old Gunda, 24-year-old Chandan Dasireddy and 37-year-old Anil Male. All four suspects have been charged with trafficking of persons, which is a second-degree felony.
The investigation is ongoing, police said, and further charges against several other individuals are pending.
Anyone who has information about this case or is a victim of human/labor trafficking is asked to call 911 or the Princeton Police Department at 972-736-3901.
Princeton is a city in Collin County and is located around 75 miles northeast of Fort Worth.
