Alleged victim testifies in Muttontown slavery trial

A jury heard from a woman Thursday who claims she was enslaved and tortured by a Muttontown couple. The woman is one of two who say Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani kept them as slaves while they worked

News 12 Staff

Nov 1, 2007, 8:33 PM

Updated 6,441 days ago

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A jury heard from a woman Thursday who claims she was enslaved and tortured by a Muttontown couple.
The woman is one of two who say Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani kept them as slaves while they worked as housekeepers. The women claim they were forced to work long hours with no sleep and were punished often if they didn?t obey.
In her testimony, the alleged victim spoke about her previous employment in Saudi Arabia and her native Indonesia. She also told the jury about the death of her son, and that Varsha Sabhnani had cast a spell on him.
Previously in the trial, defense attorneys cross-examined a Nassau County detective from the crime scene unit. The lawyers questioned why DNA samples were not taken from items prosecutors say were used to hit the housekeepers.
The jury has also seen pictures taken from the crime scene, such as the rooms the women were allegedly held in. A surveillance video was also shown of the alleged victim at a Dunkin' Donuts in Syosset after she fled from the Muttontown home.
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