Overview

• Jai Inder Sandhu, 62, and Satbir Sandhu, 48, were charged on June 12 with multiple counts of trafficking in persons, uttering threats and withholding documents at their Howard Johnson hotel in Portage la Prairie
• Investigators identified four employees from India who were recruited with promises of legal work and fair pay but instead endured 15-hour days for roughly half Manitoba’s minimum wage under constant intimidation
• One victim had their identification papers confiscated and none of the workers received the conditions outlined in their federal labour market impact assessments
• RCMP say the probe began after a disturbance call in February and evolved into a five-month Human Trafficking Unit investigation that uncovered the scheme
• Local groups including the Joy Smith Foundation and the Salvation Army are urging trafficked workers to come forward and highlighting the hidden risks in hospitality and similar industries