Archive · 8 Nov 2025
Indian-Origin Australian Couple Loses Home Proceeds for Enslaving Woman
A man and a woman from India, who lived in Australia, made another woman from India work for them like a slave for eight years.
They brought her to Australia and took her passport, so she couldn't leave.
She had to take care of their house and children without being paid properly.
One day, she got very sick and had to go to the hospital, where people found out what was happening.
The couple was arrested and sent to jail.
Now, a court has also ordered them to give up the money they made from selling their house and pay more money as a penalty.
Some of this money will help the woman who was mistreated.
An Indian-origin couple in Australia, Kandasamy and Kumuthini Kannan, have been ordered to forfeit the proceeds from their home sale and pay AUD 140,000 in penalties.
They were previously convicted in 2021 for enslaving a woman from India for eight years.
The victim arrived in Australia on a tourist visa in 2007, had her passport confiscated, and was made to perform domestic chores and childcare.
The woman was discovered in a critical health condition in July 2015 after an emergency call to their home.
The couple had previously been sentenced to jail terms of six and eight years, respectively.
- Who
- An Indian-origin couple, Kandasamy Kannan (61) and Kumuthini Kannan (58)
- What
- Ordered to forfeit proceeds from the sale of their home and pay AUD 140,000 in combined penalties for enslaving a woman for eight years.
- When
- Convicted in 2021, with the latest penalty order and home proceeds forfeiture occurring recently. The enslavement period was from 2007 to 2015.
- Where
- Melbourne, Australia
- Why
- For the crime of enslaving a woman from India who was brought to Australia on a tourist visa and forced to work for eight years.
- Couple's Names
- Kandasamy Kannan and Kumuthini Kannan
- Ages
- 61 and 58
- Conviction Year
- 2021
- Crime
- Enslaving a woman for eight years
- Sentence
- 6 years for the husband, 8 years for the wife
- Home Sale Proceeds Forfeited
- Approximately AUD 475,000
- Combined Penalties
- AUD 140,000
- Victim's Compensation
- Approximately AUD 485,000