Housekeeper Accused of Witchcraft, Forced to Eat Vomit

By Pamela Mortimer

An Indonesian servant of a New York couple testified Monday to cruel and unusual punishment she received while employed at their Long Island mansion. Samirah, an immigrant from Indonesia, claimed that she was a victim of modern day slavery and testified in "excruciating detail" about various punishments she’d received at the hands of her "employers." Punishments were doled out for even the smallest transgressions such as sleeping late.

The testimony was an integral part in the trial of Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani. The Sabhnanis operate a worldwide perfume business out of their home on the north shore of Long Island.

The attorneys for the prosecution stated that the couple severely abused Samirah and Enung, another Indonesian woman. Both women were brought to the United States to work as housekeepers, then held against their will. Both were repeatedly beaten and starved.

Samirah testified to eating from the trash "because I wasn't given food."

"I said, `Mrs., just send me home to Indonesia,"' Samirah said.

Samirah, 51, revealed many details of her stay at the Sabhnanis’ residence and relayed a most horrifying incident. According to Samirah, she was forced to walk naked from the servants' room to the kitchen and to eat 100 chili peppers. The peppers were followed by six spoons of chili powder mixed with salt water. Samirah said she vomited after eating the concoctions and was told by her employers to eat the vomit.

Attorneys for the Defense alleged that the housekeepers engaged in witchcraft rituals and may have abused themselves as part of an Indonesian self-mutilation ritual. Samirah denied the allegation.

The accusation of witchcraft may have entered the picture because Samirah accused her employers of the same. According to testimony, Samirah had introduced the subject of black magic into the trial when she alleged that Varsha Sabhnani had performed a spell that led to the death of one of Samirah's sons in Indonesia.

On Monday, an agitated Samirah stood up and waved her hands, demonstrating how she had been stabbed. She also knelt in front of jurors to show how she scrubbed floors three times every day.

The Sabhnani case broke last May when employees at a Dunkin' Donuts called police after Samirah wandered into their store, muttering and looking injured. Consequently, Samirah was taken to a hospital and treated. Authorities quickly obtained a warrant to search the Sabhnani home, where they found Enung hiding in a basement closet.

If convicted of the allegations, the couple could face 40 years in prison.