A Victorian couple who kept an Indian woman in domestic servitude for eight years have been stripped of their home’s sale proceeds and ordered to pay a combined $140,000 in penalties to the Commonwealth.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP)-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) restrained the couple’s Mount Waverley home in 2016 under the Proceeds of Crime Act (Cth) after they were charged with slavery offences.
The pair — a 61-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman — were found guilty by a jury in 2021 of enslaving a woman from India who had entered Australia on a tourist visa. The woman was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment (eligible for parole in four), and the man to six years (eligible in three).
Their $1.4 million property was sold in 2016, with about $475,000 in equity held by the Official Trustee and later forfeited to the Commonwealth in 2022. In 2023, about $485,000 was granted to the victim as an ex-gratia payment by the Attorney-General.
In October 2025, the couple agreed to further pay pecuniary penalties — $100,000 by the woman and $40,000 by the man — reflecting the financial benefit they derived from enslaving the victim.
AFP National Manager for Criminal Assets Confiscation, Fraud and Corruption, Stefan Jerga, said the case showcased the reach of the CACT in targeting offenders who profit from exploitation.
Mr Jerga said,
“This result highlights the unique breadth of the CACT’s work in targeting a wide range of criminal activity, including forced labour, and the importance of the Commonwealth’s Proceeds of Crime Act in preventing offenders from benefiting from their crimes.”
Detective Sergeant Daisie Beckensall, from the AFP’s Human Trafficking Southern Command, said investigators remained steadfast in tackling human trafficking and domestic servitude.
She said,
“If you hold a person in domestic servitude or commit other human trafficking offences, our investigators will work tirelessly to ensure offenders are found, put before the courts, and victims are removed from harm.”
The CACT brings together the expertise of the AFP, Australian Border Force, Australian Taxation Office, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and AUSTRAC to trace, restrain and confiscate criminal assets.
Proceeds from forfeited assets are placed in the Confiscated Assets Account, managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority’s Official Trustee, and are reinvested into crime prevention and law enforcement programs across Australia.
Victims of human trafficking help
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking or slavery offences, you can make a report to the AFP by calling 131AFP (131 237).
The AFP is the lead Australian investigative agency for all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery. For more information, including the signs a person may be at risk, visit the AFP website: href=”https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/human-trafficking/human-trafficking-slavery-indicators”>Human trafficking & slavery indicators | Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au
The National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-25 sets the strategic direction of the Australian Government’s work to combat modern slavery over these five years.
The Support for Trafficked People Program is delivered nationally by the Australian Red Cross and is a key component of Australia’s response to support victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Information and confidential advice is also available from the Australian Red Cross (ARC), by calling (03) 9345 1800 or visiting the ARC website.
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