COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Once the tip came in that something seemed off inside a home in Princeton, police acted fast.
According to arrest and search warrants, on March 13 at 2:51 p.m., a pest control company contacted the Princeton Police Department to report what a technician believed to be suspicious conditions inside a home on Ginsburg Lane.
Documents say the technician reported folding tables were the only furniture present, and the home contained suitcases, an air mattress and 15 women.
At 4:51 p.m. that day, a judge signed a warrant giving police the green light to search that home. Police say the search led them to a home on Mattie Grey Lane in Melissa.
At 3:01 p.m. March 14, almost 24 hours to the moment after receiving that first tip, a judge approved a search of the home in Melissa.
That same day, four suspects were charged with human trafficking: Dwaraka Gunda, 31, and her husband Santhosh Katkoori, 31, of Melissa, Texas; Chandan Dasireddy, 24 of Melissa, Texas; and Anil Male, 37, of Prosper, Texas.
Gunda, Katkoori, and Dasireddy all indicated on court documents they are citizens of India.
According to the probable cause affidavit for Katkoori, police interviewed all 15 women found in the home in Princeton and told detectives Katkoori was “in charge.”
“Katkoori would assist them in creating their resumes and [was] teaching them Java scripting. Once they were able to obtain a job, the job would then pay Katkoori,” the affidavit alleges.
Katkoori would take out approximately 20% of the salary that came in until the “debt” was repaid, according to the affidavit.
“It was illegal labor that they were committing,” Princeton Police Chief James Waters told WFAA.
In a news release, police said they seized laptops, cell phones, printers, and fraudulent documents from multiple locations which helped them confirm details of the operations.
A man who identified himself as Katkoori answered the door at the home on Mattie Grey Lane in Melissa and referred WFAA to his attorney, Jeremy Rosenthal.
Rosenthal says police made the arrests before they had examined the seized items and he points out Texas defines labor trafficking as involving force, fraud, or coercion.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of time, at least, put into the investigation before they decided to put handcuffs on him,” said Rosenthal. “This has shaken him to his core and we just want our day in court. We want people to reserve and hold judgment on this. I think that’s only fair.”
Rosenthal said police have not provided him, his client, or the public with any proof that anyone was being forced, coerced, or threatened.
Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends New Life, has worked with trafficking victims for years. She explains human trafficking as, “The use of force, fraud or coercion to compel someone to commit that act. And it happens so subtly. If there isn’t this use of force and physical violence, then it’s the coercion. It’s the false promises and the assumption that this is going to be what you think.”
Federal agencies, like Homeland Security, are involved but no formal charges have been filed.
“Mr. Katkoori was helping them find a job and in exchange for which he was keeping 20% of their earnings. That may be an unconventional business practice. I just don’t see how it’s human trafficking," said Rosenthal.