A Sydney man accused of deceiving his wife into travelling to Pakistan before leaving her there without her passport has been granted bail.
Muhammad Bilal Khan, 35, allegedly took possession of the woman’s passport and identification documents before the pair left Australia earlier this year.
Australian Federal Police allege she believed the trip was a holiday. Once in Pakistan, however, she was allegedly told she would have to remain there permanently while Khan returned to Australia alone.
Investigators further allege that Khan had arranged a ticket for himself to return to Australia but did not tell his wife. Her travel and identification documents were allegedly withheld, preventing her from joining him.
Following a report earlier this year, AFP officers raided a property in western Sydney on September 16. Electronic devices, an airline ticket and identification documents were seized during the search.
Khan was arrested and charged with facilitating the exit of another person from Australia through threat, deception or coercion.
He appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday and was released on bail. The case is due to return to court on December 1.
Exit trafficking is a form of human trafficking involving the use of threats, deception, coercion or force to take someone out of a country against their will.
AFP Detective Superintendent Luke Needham said the offence was “insidious” and warned that forcing or deceiving someone into leaving Australia was a criminal offence.
“The AFP will not hesitate to act and investigate these matters,” he said.
Detective Superintendent Needham said warning signs could include a person travelling without their passport, lacking a return ticket or phone, or being unable to provide their own contact details for travel bookings.
If convicted, Khan faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
