Charges: Ex-Nisswa Inn and Suites owner forced woman to work, threatened to sexually assault and kill her

Charges: Ex-Nisswa Inn and Suites owner forced woman to work, threatened to sexually assault and kill her By KSTP Criminal charges have been filed against the former owner of Nisswa Inn and Suites, who reportedly kept a woman against her will at the business, forcing her to work. Vijay Kumar Ramanbhai Patel, 52, has been charged with labor trafficking an adult and felony threats of violence, court records show. The charges stem from a 2024 incident in which a woman said she was forced to stay at Patel’s former business, the Nisswa Inn and Suites. The hotel has since changed ownership after it was sold in 2025 and is no longer owned by Patel, according to Crow Wing County records. Court records state the woman reported the incident to police on Sept. 13, 2024. The woman said earlier that year, on July 28, she had responded to an advertisement in New York City offering a free trip to Nisswa, Minn. The woman, who is from Guyana, bought a plane ticket after visiting her family, believing she would be compensated for the purchase, and arrived in Minnesota. Once she arrived at the Nisswa Inn, she was told to rest and to “clock in in the morning,” which she did not understand. Upon waking up, the woman was told to start vacuuming and cleaning rooms in the hotel. When speaking with Patel, the woman said he told her to bend over and pick up things off the floor, even though there was nothing to clean up. As this continued in the following days, Patel allegedly began asking the woman for nude photographs and refused to let her leave the hotel. In an alleged text exchange laid out in court documents, the woman reportedly asked to leave, to which Patel refused, reportedly telling the woman he would kill her if she contacted police. Court documents state the woman was eventually able to leave the hotel and was allegedly sent these text messages from Patel: “Do not call or text my number again [REDACTED] you black people do not get it do you I employed you to work for me as a slave;” “Do not call my number again if you do I will rape you shoot you behind your head and dump you like I dump my garbage.” The woman told police there were other immigrant women at the hotel who were being abused by Patel. Patel is not currently in custody and is being ordered to appear in court by summons. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, several resources are available to offer help. For immediate help, contact: The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. Minnesota Day One at 866-223-1111. The Women’s Advocates crisis line at 651-227-8284. More than 12 million people just in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence every year, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The organizations listed above can help connect victims to resources like safe shelter, advocacy, legal help and support groups. The National Domestic Violence Hotline also offers tips for identifying abuse and supporting victims of abuse. CLICK HERE to see those. Other organizations that can help include: Violence Free Minnesota at 651-646-6177 or 800-289-6177. STANDPOINT (formerly the Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project) at 612-343-9842. Mending the Sacred Hoop at 888-305-1650. Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault at 612-209-9993. Minnesota also has a list of many other resources for victims of crimes that can be found HERE .