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3 Missouri Men Charged in Abuse of Indian College Student Kept as Slave | St. Louis

Published

10 months ago

November 30, 2023

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click to enlarge Courtesy St. Charles County Jail Booking photo for Venkatesh R. Sattaru, who is being held without bond in the St. Charles County Jail.

A 20-year-old Indian student was viciously beaten, forced to conduct menial labor and kept in slavery conditions by a cousin in Defiance, Missouri, as well as two other local men, prosecutors said today.

St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph McCulloch gave details this afternoon about the ordeal the young man, an Indian national, experienced. McCulloch said the victim managed to escape from captivity yesterday — and ran from the home “yelling, screaming for help.”

McCulloch described the young man’s cousin, Venkatesh R. Sattaru, 35, as the “main target” of the investigation. Sattaru is now facing six felonies, including trafficking for the purposes of slavery and abuse through forced labor. Sattaru’s address is listed as being in O’Fallon, Missouri, in court records. He is the cousin of the victim, whose name is not being made public.

McCulloch said that Sattaru would call the other two defendants in the case and instruct them to beat the 20-year-old over a livestream. If the victim did not scream loud enough, Sattaru would tell them to beat him harder. “I don’t know how much more animalistic type of behavior you can get than that,” McCulloch said.

Sattauru’s two co-defendants are Sravan Penumetcha, 35, and Nikhil V. Penmatsa, 27. The two men both have the same address in Defiance.

click to enlarge Courtesy St. Charles County Jail Booking photo for Nikhil Penmasta, being held without bond in the St. Charles County Jail.

It was at that home in Defiance where the alleged forced labor and beatings occurred. The 20-year-old traveled from India to Missouri to study at Missouri S&T, McCulloch said. The victim initially understood that the men who became his captors would sponsor him for his student visa. The charges allege that at some point between April and November of this year Sattaru destroyed the young man’s passport.

The victim has told authorities he was fed very little and slept for as little as three hours a night on a concrete floor in an unfinished basement that was monitored by video surveillance. He was forced to work for Sattaru’s IT company as well as give him massages.

“He was never left alone. He was always in the presence of somebody, one of the three defendants here,” McCulloch said. “While he was allowed to call his mother back home, he was only allowed to call her in their presence and it was only allowed to be a phone call. There was never any video calls, never any FaceTime. That was not allowed.”

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the victim has told authorities that Sattaru is “a wealthy, powerful man in India with political and law enforcement connections.” Because of this, the victim was afraid to speak out against him.

click to enlarge Courtesy St. Charles County Jail Booking photo for Sravan Penumetcha, currently in the St. Charles County Jail.

Then, yesterday, a neighbor called the police asking for a wellness check for the 20-year-old. When police arrived, they were initially denied entry into the home where the 20-year-old was being held. But as officers considered their plan of action, McCulloch says the victim ran out of the home. McCulloch said bruises and swelling covered his body and that he is currently receiving medical treatment for numerous broken bones and open wounds.

A St. Charles detective said at this afternoon’s press conference that the 20-year-old has been in touch with his family back home.

“They’re aware of what’s going on. And they’re aware that he’s in a safe place now and he’s seeking medical treatment,” the detective said.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

5 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

5 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

5 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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