(PADUCAH, Ky.) — A 42-year-old Paducah man was arrested Monday afternoon following an investigation into allegations of wage theft, sexual assault, and human trafficking, according to the Paducah Police Department.
Vikaskumar Patel was taken into custody at approximately 3:54 p.m. on January 26 in the 100 block of Meadow Ridge Drive and booked into the McCracken County Jail on multiple felony charges.
The investigation began in December 2025 when a former employee reported that Patel, her employer at a local business, had been withholding her entire wages after she moved into an apartment she was renting from him. The woman told detectives that withholding her full paycheck was not part of their rental agreement. Investigators confirmed that her wages were being deposited directly into an account controlled by Patel.
The woman also disclosed that Patel had repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances and inappropriately touched her during her employment.
A second victim came forward during the investigation with additional allegations. She told detectives that while she was a minor working for Patel, he forced her to engage in commercial sexual activity with another man. The woman also reported that after leaving Patel’s employment, he contacted her under the pretense of retrieving personal property. When she arrived at a hotel to collect her belongings, she was lured to a room where Patel facilitated a sexual assault by an unknown male.
Patel faces four felony charges: human trafficking involving commercial sexual activity with a victim under 18, first-degree sexual abuse, complicity to first-degree rape, and theft by deception under $10,000.
The investigation remains active, and police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through CrimeStoppers by texting “WKY” to 738477. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
