Indian Consul General in NY accused of treating housekeeper like 'slave'

New York, June 21 (ANI): The Indian Consul General in New York has been accused of treating a former domestic help as a slave.

The victim, Santosh Bhardwaj, has filed a forced labour-suit against Prabhu Dayal for making her work for long hours everyday at 300-dollars a month, confiscating her passport and making her sleep in a storage closet, The New York Post reports

Her Manhattan federal court filing, which seeks unspecified damages and the return of her passport, said she escaped last year by slipping out of the Indian consulate building on East 64th Street while Dayal was out for a meeting.

A spokeswoman for the Legal Aid Society, which is representing Bhardwaj, said Dayal is not protected by diplomatic immunity because consular officers are only covered for their "official acts." (ANI)