ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Three men face criminal charges in St. Charles County after they allegedly held a victim captive for several months, repeatedly beat him, and forced him into labor, according to court documents obtained Thursday by FOX 2.

Prosecutors have charged Venkatesh R. Sattaru, Sravanvarma Penumetcha and Nikhil V. Penmatsa in connection with the investigation.

Court documents state that Sattaru is a cousin of the victim, described as a 20-year-old Indian national. Police confirmed the victim is a brother-in-law of one of the other suspects.

Per court documents, authorities learned of these allegations during a recent wellness check in Defiance, Missouri. Investigators say the victim came out the front door pleading for help and had suffered multiple scars and bruises. Sattaru, Penumetcha and Penmatsa were arrested moments later.

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The St. Charles County Police Department confirmed this incident was linked to a high-profile investigation Wednesday in Defiance near Highways D and DD.

“This came to our attention because of a concerned citizen,” said St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Joe McCulloch during Thursday’s news conference.

The three suspects reportedly forced the victim to engage in multiple hours of unpaid work and complete various chores. The victim completed work for one of the suspect’s IT companies. Investigators say, on several occasions, the suspects beat the victim when tasks were not completed to their standards.

“It’s absolutely inhumane and unconscionable that one human being could treat another human being like that,” said McCulloch.

Incidents were linked to homes in Defiance, Dardenne Prairie, and O’Fallon. The victim reportedly suffered several broken bones from the beatings.

Investigators say the victim was almost always in the presence of at least one of the three suspects and had limited contact with his family, only through cell phone with one of the suspects nearby.

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Investigators say the victim came to the United States from India on a student visa to attend college. He planned to study at Missouri S&T in Rolla, but never went there. The victim was reportedly enrolled in some online classes through St. Charles Community College.

Charges among the three suspects range from abuse through forced labor, trafficking, kidnapping and armed criminal action, among other offenses. All three are being held at the St. Charles County Jail without bond.

The victim is receiving treatment at a hospital. Authorities say there will be resources available to him after he leaves the hospital, and his family in India has been notified of his current situation.

McCulloch says it’s unclear whether there might be more victims related to this investigation, but reminds the public to report any suspicious activity they might note.

“If you see something, say something,” said McCulloch. “We’d much rather check it out and find nothing than have an incident like this going on nearly a year before a concerned citizen saw something suspicious and notified us to follow up.”

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