Housekeeper sues Indian diplomat in NYC over wages

NEW YORK (AP) — The top diplomatic official at India’s consulate in New York is being sued by a longtime housekeeper, who says she was coerced into a year of forced labor at his U.S. home.

The lawsuit against Consul General Prabhu Dayal was filed Monday at a federal court in Manhattan.

Santosh Bhardwaj says she was promised $10 an hour to move to the U.S. and work in Dayal’s home. She says Dayal confiscated her passport and had her sleep in a storage room. She says he worked her from morning to night, seven days a week, for only $300 per month.

Bhardwaj says she fled last year.

Dayal’s lawyer, Ravi Batra, says the woman’s claims are fabrications. He says she was paid $400 per week.