Australian Couple Who Enslaved Indian Woman for 8 Years Slapped with Fresh Penalty and Forfeited Assets

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A shocking case of modern-day slavery has come to light in Australia, where an Indian-origin couple, Kandasamy Kannan and Kumuthini, have been hit with a fresh penalty for their heinous crimes. The couple, who are currently serving jail terms, has been ordered to forfeit the proceeds from the sale of their home, valued at AUD 1.4 million, and pay a combined penalty of AUD 140,000. The couple's ordeal began in 2007 when they brought a woman from Tamil Nadu to Australia on a tourist visa, promising her a job as a domestic help. However, they instead subjected her to eight years of physical and verbal abuse, forcing her to live in their home and perform various household chores. The woman, who has not been named, was confined to the house, including during the couple's annual trips to India, and was only allowed to communicate with her family in the presence of the Kannans. The woman's dire situation came to light in 2015 when she was hospitalized in a critical condition, weighing just 40 kg and suffering from untreated type 2 diabetes, hypothermia, and urinary sepsis. An investigation was launched, and the couple was arrested in 2016. They were convicted of enslavement in 2021 and sentenced to six and eight years of imprisonment, respectively. In addition to the penalty, the couple has been ordered to pay AUD 100,000 and AUD 40,000, respectively, in pecuniary penalty orders for benefits obtained from the crime. The victim has also received an ex gratia payment of AUD 485,000. The case highlights the shocking reality of modern-day slavery and the need for stricter laws to protect victims. It also raises questions about the loopholes in the visa system that allowed the couple to exploit the victim in the first place.