A western Sydney man is accused of stranding his wife in Pakistan with no way of getting back to Australia.
The 29-year-old has been charged with one count of exit trafficking by using deception and was due to appear in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday.
An investigation was launched in November when the woman reported she had been ditched in the South Asian country with no documentation to fly home.
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Her husband allegedly lied about the purpose of the trip, telling her they — together with their two children — would be visiting her relatives.
Australian Federal Police allege the man held onto all of their tickets, passports, visas and other travel paperwork when the family flew to Afghanistan for a holiday in July 2023 before continuing on to Pakistan.
Once they arrived at the latter destination, the husband allegedly told the woman he was going back to Afghanistan to visit friends.
But two months later she found out he had returned to Australia alone.
The AFP raided the man’s Auburn home before charging him with one count of exit trafficking of a person from Australia by using deception.
The maximum penalty for someone convicted of this offence is 12 years in prison.
AFP detective acting inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said exit trafficking, a type of modern slavery, was insidious.
There were 30 reports of this crime in 2022–2023.
“Exit trafficking can involve a person using coercion, deception or a threat, to organise or facilitate another to leave Australia,” Tsardoulias said.
“No one has the right to force or deceive anyone to leave Australia, or to prevent them from returning against their will.”
The woman and her children were able to return to Australia thanks to work by the AFP and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.