A Darwin man accused of trafficking his wife out of Australia has been released on bail after surrendering his passport and submitting to electronic monitoring.
Partap Singh, 28, walked from the Darwin Local Court on Friday, a fortnight after he was arrested and charged by Australian Federal Police with one count of trafficking in persons.
Mr Singh is accused of tricking his 27-year-old wife into leaving Australia to fly to India in February 2019, under the guise of coordinating visa arrangements.
He has also been charged for allegedly providing false information in court proceedings he started in Australia earlier this year.
The AFP said Mr Singh's alleged victim has since returned to Australia and was receiving support from the Red Cross.
At a bail hearing earlier this week, Mr Singh's lawyers indicated he would be fighting the charges and said they had been laid based on false claims.
The Fannie Bay man was granted bail on the condition he submit to electronic monitoring and report to a parole officer twice a week.
He is also barred from leaving the Northern Territory or travelling overseas and surrendered his passport to the court.
Mr Singh's barrister Lyma Nguyen successfully argued for a bail condition preventing him from attending Darwin airport be amended so he could continue his work as a rideshare driver.
Prosecutors requested an extended amount of time to prepare the brief of evidence against Mr Singh, predicting it would take around 16 weeks.
The case will return to court in February.
