Santa Clarita Valley deputies arrested a Valencia restaurant owner for involuntary servitude and human trafficking charges, officials said Wednesday.
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Pardeep Kumar, 47, of Newhall, was arrested for mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, involuntary servitude and human trafficking, and is currently being held at Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station in lieu of $100,000 bail.
The incident took place at the Tandoori Grill at the 23300 block of Valencia Boulevard in Valencia.
Deputies arrived at the restaurant and began an investigation around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Kumar was ultimately arrested at the restaurant Wednesday evening, officials said.
At the restaurant, deputies located an employee who said he had been forced by the owner of the restaurant to work as a cook without pay for about three years.
The victim regularly worked 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week. The victim alleged that he was physically assaulted by the owner whenever he made any mistakes while performing his duties.
Deputies were also told that the victim had been forced to live at the restaurant owner’s home, and was driven to and from work. The victim further said he was not allowed to communicate with anyone in the outside world.
Deputy Don Walker, a media deputy assigned to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, was the first person alerted by the victim’s brother through an email sent from Mumbai, India, to the LASD.org webmail, according to a Nixle release from Sheriff’s Department officials.
Walker’s immediate action of processing and disseminating the information to the appropriate station, Santa Clarita Valley, was crucial in the expediency of the investigation that quickly led to the rescue of the victim and arrest of the suspect, the statement read.
Santa Clarita personnel notified the Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau who responded with their Human Trafficking Task Force members. Their Federal partners, Homeland Security Investigations Bureau, also responded to assist along with a Los Angeles County District Attorney investigator.
The Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau handles all commercial sex and labor related human-trafficking crimes throughout the County.
The owner of the restaurant, later identified as a 47-year-old male from Newhall, is currently being held at Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station in lieu of $100,000 bail.
He is scheduled to appear in San Fernando Superior Court on March 26, 2015. Anyone who may have witnessed any other incidents relating to this case, or if you have any further information, please contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station at 661-255-1121.
You can also remain anonymous by calling “LA Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website at LAcrimstoppers.org.
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