The Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie) announced on September 18, 2026, that two men had been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and human smuggling after allegedly exploiting foreign hospitality workers across eight restaurants belonging to three Indian restaurant chains, in Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Hague, Hoofddorp and Hilversum.
Investigators say the suspects obtained more than 70 combined residence and work permits under a hospitality-sector program intended for specialized cooks, then deployed the workers – most of them Indian nationals – as dishwashers, cleaners, servers and managers instead. Workers were allegedly required to work 60 to 80 hours a week, far beyond the permitted 38-hour week, without extra pay, and were kept in line with contract penalties and threats made against their families. The Authority estimates the scheme generated more than 4 million euros in unlawful gains. Real estate, bank accounts, data devices and business records have been seized.
The arrests were part of an internationally coordinated “Empact Action Day” against labour exploitation, which saw 19 inspections carried out across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland, eight of them in the Netherlands.
Source: Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (Netherlands Labour Authority), official press release, 18 September 2026.
