• Source:JND
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Hinduja Family Human Trafficking Case:  Members of the British billionaire Indian-origin Hinduja family are facing the prospect of prison sentences in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities have charged them with human trafficking and exploitation of employees at their villa overlooking Lake Geneva. However, Ajay Hinduja has denied allegations that he forced an Indian nanny to work 18-hour days without a break. He described the allegation as "folly" and said that he regarded her as a second mother to his children, Bloomberg reported. Ajay's wife Namrata and his parents Prakash and Kamal are also accused of the charges.

Below is detailed information about the Hindujas and the companies they own.

Hinduja's

According to Forbes, the Hinduja family, which controls the Hinduja Group, a multinational conglomerate, has a net worth of $20 billion as of November 2023. The group's businesses have interests in everything from heavy vehicles and lubricants to banking and technology.

Second-generation patriarch Gopichand Hinduja took over as chairman after the death of his elder brother Srichand Hinduja in May 2023. Gopichand, a UK citizen, lives in London, while Prakash resides in Monaco and Ashok is based in Mumbai.

According to Forbes, the Hindujas were the seventh wealthiest family in India (2023), the 146th wealthiest family in the world in 2022, and dropped off the list in 2023. They were also the twelfth wealthiest family in Asia in 2017.

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How did businesses grow?

According to the group's website, the Hinduja brothers' father, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, traded goods in the town of Shikarpur in the Sindh region of British India (now Pakistan). He moved his commercial banking and trading business to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1914 and opened an international office in Iran in 1919.

The brothers relocated their headquarters to London in 1979, where they remain today. The website claims that the group employs 200,000 people worldwide.

His eldest son, Srichand P Hinduja took over in November 1935. He is credited with establishing IndusInd Bank. Current Chairman Gopichand took office in May 2023 and is known for the group's forays into the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Some Hinduja group companies

Hinduja Housing Finance Ltd, Ashok Leyland, Switch Mobility, P D Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Hinduja Bank (Switzerland) Ltd (formerly Amas Bank),  IndusInd Bank, Hinduja Leyland Finance Ltd, GOCL Corporation Ltd, Gulf Oil International Ltd, Quaker-Houghton International Ltd, Hinduja National Power Corporation Ltd,  Hinduja Renewables Energy Private Ltd, Hinduja Realty Ventures Ltd, British Metal Corporation (India) Pvt Ltd, Hinduja Investments and Project Services Ltd.

What is the Swiss case?

According to Bloomberg, the Hinduja family, which consists of Ajay Hinduja, his wife Namrata Hinduja, and other members Prakash Hinduja and Kamal Hinduja, are accused of spending more on their pet dog than on one of their servants. Prosecutor Yves Bertossa is seeking prison sentences of up to five and a half years for trafficking and exploiting Indian employees at their villa on Lake Geneva. They have been charged with human trafficking, low wages, and long working hours for workers.

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