Canberra man charged for tricking wife into traveling to India, canceling her Australian visa and leaving her and son stranded

An Indian man in Australia has been charged with outbound trafficking after he lured his wife to India, then canceled her visa and left her stranded overseas, Australia Today reported.The 35-year-old Canberra man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first person in the ACT to face charges under the country’s outbound trafficking laws. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.In September 2024, the couple traveled to India from Australia ahead of the birth of their child. The man later told his wife he needed to return to Australia for work and promised he would be back before their son was born. He never returned to India.In April 2025, the man fraudulently canceled his wife’s Australian visa application while she was still in India and subsequently blocked her phone number, leaving her and their newborn child stranded in India.The woman eventually returned to Australia in August 2025. However, the couple’s son remains in India. The woman later feared her husband planned to take her back to India and abandon her again. She contacted police in March 2026.The man was arrested on April 14 and remains on bail.Under Australian law, outbound trafficking occurs when a person uses coercion, deception or threats to arrange or assist someone to leave Australia for the purpose of exploitation or control. As part of the abuse, perpetrators often confiscate passports, cancel visas or isolate victims overseas.The Australian Federal Police is urging people experiencing immigration-related abuse to seek help.“If you suspect that you or someone else is experiencing or at risk of modern slavery, human traffickingdial 131 AFP,” police said.The Department of Home Affairs said victims supported by the AFP could apply to return to Australia under the human trafficking visa framework while investigations continue.