THREE RIVERS (WWJ) — A woman has been able to “reclaim her life and take back her control” after being forced to work at a convenience store for nearly a decade without being paid.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday announced labor trafficking charges against three men from Three Rivers — about 30 miles south of Kalamazoo — who allegedly “labor trafficked a now 33-year-old woman brought to the United States from India under the auspices of marriage.”
Ikbahl Machhal, Kartar Chand and Shila Devi have all been charged with one count each of human trafficking — forced labor — and human trafficking enterprise, both 10-year felonies.
The charges come after an investigation that involved local, state and federal agencies, including the Three Rivers Police Department, Nessel’s office and Homeland Security Investigations.
Authorities say Chand, 67, Devi, 66 and Machhal — the victim’s 40-year-old husband — began trafficking the victim in 2012 when the family “forcibly moved her” from Pennsylvania to Michigan.
At the time, Machhal and her in-laws, Chand and Devi, had come to own the Broadway Market in Three Rivers. Shortly after they arrived in Michigan, the victim began working at the convenience store, allegedly never receiving payment for her labor.
The AG’s office says the victim was required to work 8-9 hours a day, seven days a week, against her will and “under threat of severe physical, mental, and emotional abuse.”
This allegedly continued for about eight years until the victim was able to leave her home with help from the YWCA Kalamazoo in October of 2020 following domestic violence charges against her husband.
Three Rivers Police Officer Matt Kilbourn uncovered the scheme after he “identified signs of labor trafficking during a hospital visit with the victim after suspected domestic violence,” officials said. Due to Officer Kilbourn’s vigilance and dedication, this victim was able to leave her abusers.
Machhal and Devi were arraigned in the 3B District Court in St. Joseph County following their arrest on April 29. They were each granted bond in the amount of $1 million and, should they make bond, their passports will be confiscated by the court.
Chand has been charged but not arrested, having allegedly fled to India.
The next court date for Machhal and Devi has been scheduled for May 14.
Nessel called labor trafficking “a hidden crime that often goes undetected.”
“This woman’s existence was reduced entirely to service toward this business, and she suffered greatly throughout her years in Michigan and at the Broadway Market,” Nessel said. “ I am grateful for the collaboration between the Three Rivers Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, YWCA Kalamazoo, and the prosecutors in my office for bringing such horrible acts to light, pursuing justice for this victim, and the roles they each played in liberating her from her own family.”
The AG’s office said through the work of the YWCA Kalamazoo, the woman “was able to reclaim her life and take back her control.” The YWCA Kalamazoo provides “numerous invaluable services to victims of human trafficking, including legal assistance and support,” which helped lead to the charges against the victim’s family.
“Human trafficking is found in many different labor markets that consumers might not suspect, such as convenience stores, nail salons, massage parlors, farming and agriculture, and restaurants. Those being trafficked often do not even realize they are in fact victims of human trafficking or are not aware of how to get help,” said a release from the AG’s office.
Victims of human trafficking or those who have identified someone they think may need help can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text 233733. This is a national, toll-free hotline, that is available to answer calls, texts, and chats from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. All calls are confidential.
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