Bangladeshi denied parole in Auckland for forcing staff into economic slavery
Mohammed Atiqul Islam and his wife Nafisa Ahmed had reportedly confiscated the passports of their sweet shop staff
A Bangladeshi immigrant, who was jailed for exploiting migrant workers after forcing staff into drudgery at his Auckland sweet shop, has been denied parole.
Mohammed Atiqul Islam's bail plea was refused by the Parole Board saying that he was still a risk to the community.
Atiqul and his wife Nafisa Ahmed paid their staff as little as $6 per hour and made them work for up to 68 hours a week for a pittance, nzherald.co.nz reported.
The couple had reportedly confiscated the passports of their sweet shop staff.
Both Atiqul and his wife Nafisa were jointly charged by Immigration New Zealand but were acquitted on human trafficking charges.
Atiqul Islam was sentenced to four years and five months after he was found guilty of 10 charges of exploitation and seven other immigration-related offences.
Nafisa Ahmed, an accountant in her mid 30s, was jointly found guilty of seven exploitation charges relating to the five victims.
Nafisa was jailed for two years and six months in May 2019 and was later released on parole.