http://www.examiner.com/000130/0130vigil.html
SF Examiner
Vigil for victims in landlord sex case
Crowd Congregates outside restaurant that suspect owns
By Ray Delgado
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

BERKELEY - For one night, the spotlight in the case of a wealthy Berkeley landlord charged with smuggling girls from India for sex was cast squarely on the victims.
Before Saturday, most of the news focused on Lakireddy Bali Reddy and his son, Vijay Kumar Lakireddy, both subjects of a federal immigration fraud probe.

But 200 people turned out Saturday night in front of Reddy's Pasand Restaurant on Shattuck Avenue to remember the victims in the sordid tale, especially one teenage girl who died from accidental exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment owned by Reddy.

The crowd swelled along the sidewalk in front of the mostly empty restaurant, with many people carrying candles and signs that read "Get Reddy for Jail" and "Boycott Pasand."

"I'm not the judge and jury but it's important that the message gets out that this kind of exploitation is not going to be tolerated here," said Laura Wells, an Oakland resident and women's rights activist who went to the candlelight vigil after she heard about it from a friend. "The system has got to be changed wherever we can do something about it."

Many of those who held candles in memory of Sitha Vemireddy, 16, have followed the case closely and remembered hearing news accounts after she was found dead in late November. Her younger sister also suffered carbon monoxide poisoning but survived.

"We don't know her real name because it was changed," said Firoza Chic Dabby, the executive director of Narika, a program that helps abused south Asian women. "She was sold by her real family and given a fictitious one."

According to court records, Reddy brought Vemireddy, her sister and another teenager from India for sex. The teens also reportedly worked at Reddy's Berkeley restaurant and apartment buildings.


Charges horrified community
When Reddy was arrested two weeks ago for immigration fraud and bringing immigrants into the country illegally for prostitution and other immoral purposes, the charges horrified many in the city's large Indian and south Asian community.
But many weren't surprised to hear the claims that Vemireddy and others were allegedly forced to work at Pasand for low wages to repay the debts incurred in coming to the United States.

"I know that it happens but I'm surprised that people who know about these issues look the other way," said Bipina Patel of Oakland, who carried a sign written in Hindi that read "Reddy, we don't like you." "Maybe it's because of (Reddy's) power and the male-dominated Southeast Asian community."

Berkeley resident Diana Russell, a professor emeritus at Mills College, said she has extensively studied issues of sexual violence and exploitation and said she was horrified when reading about the allegations surrounding Reddy. So horrified, in fact, that she has stood outside of Pasand for six of the past seven days to discourage patrons from entering.

"It's been tremendous," said Russell, referring to the mostly positive response she has gotten from would-be diners who turn away. "A lot of the people have not connected (the scandal) with this restaurant. They say 'Oh, that's the guy' and then they leave."


Conflict in the doorway
Russell said she has had problems with some of the men in the restaurant who have pulled the shades down on the windows to block her access to customers inside and have called police to get her out of the doorway.
Still, she will remain outside, she said, even if her efforts don't put a big dent in business.

"He's so rich it's not going to make a difference," Russell said. "It's a shame on his family and he's a shame."

Organizers of the vigil, which included the Asian Law Caucus, Narika and San Francisco Women Against Rape, among others, said there are likely more victims of Reddy who are in hiding because they fear they will be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Service if they come forward. They also pushed for legislation that would protect victims of sex trafficking.

Oakland resident Fal Sarkar said he attended the vigil to add his support but he also said it was important to not rush to judgment against Reddy until he has had his day in court.

"You do feel bad for the family, who are suffering because of the patriarch's behavior," said Sarkar. "I don't sympathize with him though."

Reddy, who was arrested Jan. 14, was released Tuesday on $10 million bail. His son was charged Tuesday with immigration fraud but was released. His bail was set at $500,000 Friday

ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 29, 2000

OAKLAND -- The son of a landlord accused of importing girls from India for sex has been accused of visa fraud.

Prosecutors said Vijay Kumar Lakireddy, 30, used his high-tech company as a front for bringing Indians to the United States to work in his family's restaurant. He was freed from jail on dlrs 500,000 bail.

His father, Lakireddy Bali Reddy, 62, is charged with aiding and abetting the importation of illegal immigrants for immoral purposes. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

In an affidavit spelling out the federal charge against Lakireddy, agents from the Immigration and Naturalization Service alleged that Lakireddy asked his father if he could have sex with one of three girls brought from India.

Reddy "would not permit him to do so," the affidavit reads.

"We deny that absolutely," said Lakireddy's attorney, George Cotsirilos.

Reddy, a local real estate mogul who owns more than 1,000 apartments in the San Francisco Bay area, was released from jail Tuesday after paying dlrs 10 million bail. His worth was estimated at dlrs 70 million.

Both men are scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 7.