US 'slavery' couple granted bail

Varsha Sabhnani and her husband have pleaded not guilty

A wealthy US couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves in a New York home and abusing them, have been granted bail under strict conditions.

A judge said Varsha Sabhnani, 35, and her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, 51, should remain under home detention pending the outcome of their trial.

The Indian-born couple were arrested last week after one of the women escaped from their Long Island home.

They pleaded not guilty to forced labour and harbouring illegal migrants.

US District Judge Thomas Platt said the couple could be released from police custody on payment of bail set at $3.5m (£1.7m).

They were to be confined to their home, and subject to 24-hour surveillance, telephone wiretaps and physical searches, the judge ruled.

The couple, who run a perfume business, were arrested after one of the women was found wandering the streets dressed in only trousers and a towel.

It is thought she escaped when she took rubbish out for collection the previous night.

'Routine beatings'

Lawyers for the accused said the couple spent a lot of time abroad and that the two Indonesian women were free to leave whenever they wanted.

One of the women said they slept on mats in the kitchen

The pair were described as "model citizens" who "only want to clear their name".

Prosecutors described the case as "modern-day slavery" and said the two women were beaten, had scalding water thrown over them and were forced to eat hot chilli peppers.

One of the women also said they had to sleep on mats in the kitchen and had no option but to steal food as their meals were so meagre.

The couple also refused to pay the women directly, sending only $100 (£50) a month to a relative in Indonesia, officials said.

The women, identified as Nona and Samirah, arrived in the US legally in 2002 but had their passports confiscated by the Sabhanis, officials said. Their visas have since expired.