Slave to Millionaires

A "monstrous" millionaire couple from Long Island's Gold Coast kept two Indonesian women as slaves for five years in their tony estate-turned-house of horrors - until one victim was found wandering the street half-naked this week muttering, "Master," authorities said yesterday.

Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Murliddhar Sabhnani - perfume moguls from the mega-rich community of Muttontown - were hauled into federal court yesterday to face charges including beating, cutting and scalding one of the victims and committing "incomprehensible . . . inhumanity" against both.

"Home, I want to go home," sobbed one of the middle-aged women, identified as "Samirah," when she was found bruised and battered at a Dunkin' Donuts on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset at around 6 a.m. Sunday.

The two women were treated horribly - beaten with brooms and were forced to work extremely long hours for next to no pay. Promises to send money back to relatives in Indonesia were not kept.

Beatings were routinely administered either in the laundry room or bathroom, they said, with "a rolling pin, bamboo stick and a broomstick." Samirah said Varsha also tossed scalding water on her.

The feds noted in court papers that Samirah "bears highly visible scars that appear to be permanent over much of her body.

"She also has deep, open knife wounds behind her ears, which were inflicted by [Varsha]."

Samirah also showed cops at the house "a door stained with [her] blood that was the result of an injury sustained during a beating" by Varsha, according to court papers.

The abused women were starved to the point that they began hiding food, authorities said.

If all these allegations are substantiated, the Sabhnanis will be facing significant jail time.

UPDATE:
This report indicates that the Sabhnanis each could face 17 to 22 years in federal prison for the criminal acts alleged.

Varsha Sabhnani's attorney, Charles Ross of Manhattan, argued that his client should be released on bail because the case amounted only to a claim of assault based on the word of the two Indonesian women.

Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani's attorney, Alexandra Tseitlin of Manhattan, asked that he be released on bail, saying her client had not been accused of torturing either of the women.

Magistrate Kathleen Tomlinson held both Sabhnanis without bail pending a hearing today. If convicted, each faces a sentence of between 17 to 22 years in prison.

The two Indonesian women were told to hide in a 3-foot by 3-foot closet they shared with a storage chest when visitors came to the house, court papers said. They both entered the country on visas that had long since expired: "Samirah" five years ago and "Nona" two years ago.

The women were forced to work 21 hours a day, from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. "seven days a week," Jones and Lesko said. The only pay "Samirah" received was $100 a month sent to her daughter in Indonesia, court papers said. It could not be learned if "Nona" received any pay.