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A group of 19 Indian migrant workers claim they are being made to work in what they describe as��slave-like conditions��up to 17 hours per day with no pay at Auckland restaurant chain Daaku Kebab.�� ��

The men claim they each paid between $26,000 and $60,000 for the work visas they feel have now trapped them.��

They said they went to Sikh temples for help, and the temple communities were now supplying them with groceries. Daljit Singh, a spokesman for the Supreme Sikh Society said the workers were “not in a good shape mentally”.��

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (Mbie) confirmed it had received complaints about alleged��migrant exploitation��at Daaku Kebab and the matter had been��referred to its investigations team.�� ��

Daaku Kebab has five outlets across Auckland. One of its two directors, known by the single name Sourav, has denied the allegations as “baseless”.��

The Daaku Kebab store on Great South Road in Papatoetoe. Photo / Jason Oxenham��

Khawaish Singh, 24, said he paid $26,000 for his visa and a job at Daaku Kebab, and claims that for the��first two months he received no payments��despite being made to work 17-hour days.��

He and three other workers - Partab Singh, 26, Narender Singh, 33, and Harsh Singh, 27 - share a basement in Papatoetoe and say they survive on food and groceries they get from the Sikh temple.��

Khawaish said he worked from 11am to 4am for two months under “training” and received no payment for his work. He was just given meals.��

“We are treated just like slaves and I didn’t feel like I was being treated like a human being at all,” said Khawaish, who first started work for the chain in July last year.��

Migrants (from left) Khawaish Singh, Partap Singh, Harsh Singh and Narender Singh say they paid between $26,000 and $60,000 for visas and work at Daaku Kebab stores in Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham��

Khawaish said he started getting paid in September but did not know how much he received hourly because the company did not give him payslips.��

Co-workers Partab, Narender and Harsh shared similar claims with the��Herald,��alleging they were being made to work long hours with little or no pay after paying tens of thousands of dollars for their visas.��

Harsh claims he paid $60,000 for his visa because the company had promised he could be a shareholder.��

“When I asked about getting a proper salary so I can repay the money I borrowed, they threatened by saying the business will be sold and all the money that I paid will be gone,” he claimed.��

He feared that not repaying a loan for the money he borrowed to pay for his visa would put his family in danger.��

One of the Daaku Kebab stores is on Great South Rd in Papatoetoe. Photo / Jason Oxenham��

Sourav denies all the allegations. “These allegations are all denied, but under legal advice I am unable to comment further whilst an investigation is under way.”��

He said the problems arose from a “personal matter concerning families back home in India”.��

“They are unable to substantiate the amounts alleged and this is a baseless allegation,” he said.��

“Some of these employees have refused to work, quarrelled with customers, and have committed acts of theft on business premises.”��

Sourav said he had faced pressure from the families of the men back in India to continue employing them.��

He also said he had reached out to the workers “to finalise their outstanding dues and minimum employment entitlements which they are entitled to”.��

“They have not yet responded to my request,” he said.��

Khawaish Singh, Partap Singh, Harsh Singh and Narender Singh are being helped with food and groceries by the Sikh temple. Photo / Jason Oxenham��

In an email dated June 17 and sighted by the��Herald, Sourav said he would like to meet with the workers to resolve their employment dispute.��

He said their payslips will be provided to them then.��

In a previous email on June 12, Sourav said he was selling the business and gave the men two weeks to find another job or seek other options.��

“Business is much slower than I expected, to be honest I put all my personal savings into my business and even still can’t afford my food expenses and my home loan . . . so I decided to sell my business,” he wrote.��

Supreme Sikh Council spokesman Daljit Singh. Photo / Dean Purcell��

Daljit Singh, a spokesman for the Supreme Sikh Society, said 19 workers linked to Daaku Kebab had sought help from Sikh temples in Papatoetoe and Takanini.��

He claimed they had “been scammed”, and said it was his belief that they were paying for a pathway to residency and getting part of the business.��

He said the temple had been supporting the group with groceries and supplies, and they came to the temples at least once a day for hot meals.��

James Friend, Mbie acting national manager investigations, said the complaints were being referred to the ministry’s investigations team.��

“We have received complaints which have been referred to our investigations team,” Friend said.��

“To protect the integrity of our investigation, we will not be commenting on details of an ongoing investigation.”��

The four men who spoke to the��Herald��had been assessed to be eligible to apply for the Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa.��

This is the latest among a string of alleged exploitation cases linked to Immigration New Zealand’s accredited employer work visa (AEWV) scheme, which followed an employer-led process to hire migrant workers.��

As at June 3, Immigration had approved 120,472 AEWV applications, and 35,264 accredited employers that use the scheme to attain work visas for as many staff as they wanted.��

There are currently 255 active investigations on 246 accredited employers under way and 366 have had their accreditation either revoked or suspended.��

It remains unclear how many people have been exploited as a result of companies exploiting the scheme and migrants wanting to move to New Zealand.��

Lincoln Tan, a multimedia journalist for the��NZ Herald, specialises in covering stories around diversity and immigration.��