Australian man charged for trafficking wife, baby to India

Sydney Police have charged a man with human trafficking after the accused forced his wife and two-month-old daughter to travel from Australia to India.

Police say the 27-year-old man forced his wife to leave against her will in March by threatening, coercing and deceiving her.

He then allegedly attempted to cancel his India-born wife's Australian visa. However, police say he failed to cancel the woman's visa and the child's Australian passport.

Six-year-old recovered from human traffickers in China

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a Sydney court on Tuesday on three charges, including human trafficking and forgery of documents.

"It is a disturbing case where we see a victim and their young child transported from Australia to a foreign jurisdiction without any means for them to return home," said Australian Federal Police Supt Dan Evans.


The deadly network of human trafficking

Upon returning home to Australia, the woman contacted an anti-slavery organisation. The group notified the police.

The man was released on bail and will face a court again later this month.

Australian police believe human trafficking is an under-reported crime in the nation. In the most recent financial year they investigated 150 alleged cases.

This story originally appeared on BBC News