June 26,2025
RED FM News Desk
Two hotel owners have been charged in connection with a labour trafficking case in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
According to police, migrant workers were enticed to come to Manitoba with promises of legal employment, fair wages, and affordable housing, but were instead forced to work long hours for very low pay, under threats of deportation and intimidation.
The investigation began on February 9, when officers responded to an unrelated disturbance at a hotel in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Portage la Prairie. While on scene, two female hotel workers approached officers and reported allegations of labour trafficking. Two more alleged victims later came forward. This led to a five-month investigation conducted by the Manitoba RCMP’s human trafficking unit.
According to investigators, four victims—all from India—were recruited to come to Canada under the promise of receiving a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which would allow them to work legally in the country. However, only one of them ever received it.
Instead, the workers were allegedly forced to work 15-hour days, seven days a week, and were paid less than half of minimum wage. Sgt. Farrell also noted they were subjected to threats of deportation and intimidation.In one case, the victim’s identification documents were being withheld.
The hotel’s owner, 62-year-old Jai Inder Sandhu, has been charged with multiple human trafficking offences, along with two counts of uttering threats and one count of withholding or destroying documents.
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