Restaurant owner jailed for forcing worker to labour months unpaid
Prabhat Kumar Gaur forced an Indian migrant to work unpaid for months by threatening her visa and immigration status.
Prabhat Kumar Gaur, 54, pleaded guilty in Victoria's County Court to forced labour charges that carry up to nine years' jail. The victim, an Indian national on a work visa, began at his Bacchus Marsh restaurant, Royal Indians, in December 2018 after her previous sponsor closed.
Gaur agreed to nominate her for sponsorship but told her to work unpaid while the process ran. After her nomination was approved, he demanded she pay him more than $45,000 and continue working six days a week without pay or leave.
He threatened to cancel her visa and told her immigration contacts could "spoil her life" if she quit. The woman reported him to the Fair Work Ombudsman in June 2020.
Gaur has agreed to pay more than $45,000 in reparations.
- $45,000 payment plus years of unpaid work
- Extortion demand
- 9 years imprisonment
- Maximum penalty
- Royal Indians, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
- Restaurant location
Why it mattersThe case exposes how visa sponsorship systems can trap migrant workers. Rinehart's warning about mines matters less than this real human abuse in Australia's backyard.
AustraliaMigrant workers on temporary visas in Australia face real risk of exploitation through visa dependency, a vulnerability this case lays bare for the court system and employers to confront.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
