An Indian-origin leader Balesh Dhankhar was sentenced to 40 years in prison. An Australian court sentenced him for his premeditated and calculated sexual assaults on five South Korean women. The Downing Centre District Court handed down the verdict on March 7, setting a non-parole period of 30 years. This means, Dhankhar will only be eligible for release in 2053, when he turns 83.
Fake Job Ads Used to Trap Victims
According to reports, Dhankhar, targeted young South Korean women aged 21 to 27 by posting fake job advertisements. Under the pretext of giving them jobs he called them for interviews. He then lured them to his Sydney residence, where he allegedly drugged, assaulted, and raped them. Furthermore, the Court evidence revealed that he also filmed his crimes for future sexual gratification.
Dhankar’s crime came to light after the police raided his Sydney apartment in October 2018. His actions were exposed when investigators found date-rape drugs and a hidden video recorder in his apartment. Additionally, the authorities also discovered a spreadsheet where Dhankhar ranked his victims based on their appearance, intelligence, and vulnerability.
‘Highly Predatory Crime’
Judge Michael King during the hearing denounced Dhankhar’s manipulative and predatory behavior. The judge described his crimes as elaborate, premeditated, and devoid of empathy.
“This was an egregious sequence of planned predatory conduct against five unrelated young and vulnerable women over a significant period,” Judge King stated.
Judge King highlighted the stark contrast between Dhankhar’s public persona and his criminal actions, stating that his leadership image was entirely inconsistent with his predatory nature.
Following this Dhankhar was convicted of 39 charges, including 13 counts of rape, after a jury trial in 2023. Despite overwhelming evidence against Dhankar, he showed no emotion in court during the trial.
A Leader to Convicted Criminal
Reports suggest that Dhankhar was a prominent figure in the Indian-Australian community. He served as a spokesman for the Hindu Council of Australia and also founded a BJP-affiliated group. He also worked as a data visualisation consultant for corporations like ABC, British American Tobacco, Toyota, and Sydney Trains.
Denial of Crimes
Despite strong evidence against Dhankhar he continued to deny drugging his victims or that the encounters were non-consensual. In his statement to a report writer, he claimed there was a “difference in how I interpret consent, to how the law sees consent”.
