Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Couple Charged With Keeping "Slaves" in L.I. Home
By
Jen Chung
Published May 16, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 16, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
When a Dunkin Donuts' manager in Syosset called 911 about a distressed woman, the police were led to a mansion in Muttontown, Long Island. Now, federal prosecutors say that weathly couple Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and Mahender Marliddhar Sabhnani kept two Indonesian woman as prisoners in their home; the U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones said, "The conduct the defendants committed is monstrous. It's truly a case of modern-day slavery."
The Sabhnanis allegedly asked Samirah to work from them while traveling in Indonesia, offering $300/month - and it seems that only $100 was paid to Samirah's daughter. She and the other victim "Nona" were allegedly forced to sleep on mats, fed little food, hide when company came, threatened with violence and work 21-hour days. According to the Post, Nona was forced to "to take as many as 30 ice-cold showers in a row, run up and down a flight of stairs 150 times as fast as she could - and gulp down at least 25 'extremely hot chili peppers at one time.'" Nona was found by the police in a 3' by 3' closet under the stairs.
The Sabhnanis, who run a multi-million dollar perfume business out of their home and own an apartment in Manhattan, were held without bail yesterday. Their bail hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, and the U.S. Attorney says the couple is a flight risk, given their resources and family in Asia. The Sabhnanis' lawyers say that the couple have four children in the country and want to clear their names. One lawyer said, "What we have here is one person’s version of what happened. There are no allegations of slave trading. This is basically an assault allegation by one person.” The lawyer, Charles Ross, added that since the couple traveled so much, there was opportunity for the two women to flee. Interestingly, they have separate lawyers; the wife, Varsha Sabhnani, is accused of most inflicting most of the violence.
You can read the affidavit here (PDF). And the Dunkin' Donuts manager Adrian Mohammed told Newsday that he offered Samirah a coffee and gave her his jacket to wear: "The only English she said was 'home' as she pulled out her Indonesian passport and started pointing and crying and saying she wanted to go home." When he and another customer who worked at a nursing home discovered bruises on Samirah's arms and scars behind Samirah's ear, Mohammed called 911.
Tagged
charles ross
children
coffee
crime
dunkin' donuts
food
headlines
long island
manhattan
police
The Police
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 10:46 a.m. ET
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
By
Charles Lane
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .