A social worker has filed a police complaint alleging an Indian husband has prostituted his intellectually disabled Kiwi wife to Indian men.
The 18-year-old wife has the mental age of a 7-year-old and the social worker fears she is being sexually exploited.
Police has confirmed receiving the complaint and said it was working with the people involved to better understand the circumstances surrounding the matter.
Social worker Roopa Suchdev alleged in her complaint that the man was "passing [his wife] around to different . . . men for physical pleasure".
"We know that the girl is being used like a prostitute to . . . men," Suchdev said.
"I think the saddest part is that she may not even understand what they are doing to her."
The Herald understands police met with Suchdev and the woman's family yesterday.
Suchdev said in her complaint the 18-year-old woman had multiple intellectual problems and her mental capability of understanding was severely limited.
"[The husband] is interested in her until he gets his residency," she wrote.
"But in the meantime, she is getting sexually abused by his friends too."
Suchdev alleged the man - who entered New Zealand on a student visa - was "sexually and monetarily abusing" the special needs woman for the purpose of gaining permanent residency.
Detective Sergeant Rob Cleary, of Counties Manukau Police, said sexual exploitation of a person with significant impairment was illegal under the Crimes Act.
But he noted that no person had been charged with this or anything else in relation to this case.
"As you can appreciate this is a complex matter and there are a number of privacy issues which police needs to consider," Cleary said.
"In general, police do not respond to request or whether specific individuals have made complaints to the police."