A Telugu software engineer has filed a lawsuit in the United States against his employer, Siri Software Solutions (SiriSoft), and its Indian-origin CEO Pavan Tata, alleging forced labour, wage theft, and caste-based discrimination.
According to Breitbart News, the company allegedly “weaponised” the H-1B visa program to exploit the worker, Amrutesh Vallabhaneni, using the promise of Green Card sponsorship as leverage to enforce harsh and unlawful working conditions.
SiriSoft reportedly threatened to cancel his visa; a move that would have forced him to leave the US; if he didn’t comply.
Vallabhaneni claims he was compelled to pay his own salary for six months, endured inconsistent payments, and barely managed to cover basic expenses like rent and medical care.
The lawsuit states, “Forced labor, labor trafficking, and withholding visa documents are crimes.”
The suit further alleges that the company used Green Card promises as a tool of coercion, threatening to halt the process whenever Vallabhaneni resisted their demands.
The tech worker and his wife reportedly suffered severe financial and emotional distress, including a lapse in health insurance that left them without medical treatment for an injury.
“Despite these blatant violations, Vallabhaneni was not free to leave SiriSoft because the company threatened to withdraw his H-1B if he didn’t comply,” the lawsuit claims.
Labour trafficking expert Jay Palmer, who helped prepare the case, described the situation as a “Squid Game for Indian workers,” saying, “It’s a very, very exploitative culture. Indian CEOs often import home-country caste-discrimination politics into US workplaces.”
The lawsuit seeks full compensation and damages, highlighting growing concerns about exploitation of H-1B visa holders in the US tech industry.
Siri Software Solutions has not yet issued any public response to the allegations.
Vallabhaneni’s US journey began in 2015 on an F-1 student visa. He first worked for E-Content in New Jersey under uncertain conditions before joining SiriSoft in 2018, which offered him H-1B sponsorship; a visa coveted for its pathway to a Green Card and long-term residency in America.
