SYDNEY: According to reports reaching here, a man of Indian origin in Australia has been convicted of the heinous crime of raping five Korean women and filming the acts through a concealed camera, after drugging them.
The accused Balesh Dhankhar is said to be a data expert and a prominent member of the Indian diaspora in Australia with political ties. He faced trial for more than 39 charges, including 13 counts of rape committed between January and October 2018. A jury at the District Court in Sydney on Monday found him guilty of all the charges.
Dhankhar, a 43-year-old data expert, broke down in court when the foreman of the jury replied guilty to each of the 39 charges against him, reports said. He will have to face court again in May and sentencing will be done later in the year.
In the hearing before the jury Dhankhar, it emerged that he had a predator’s modus operandi to ensnare the women, posting a fake job for Korean translators. He made a habit of using the same hotel, café, and Korean restaurant to meet the women before taking them to his studio apartment in the Sydney CBD, using false pretenses.
The prosecution said Dhankhar mixed tablets of the sleeping drug Stilnox or infamous date-rape drug Rohypnol in glasses of wine and other drinks.
Using a camera hidden in his bedside alarm clock, or on his mobile phone, Dhankhar filmed the rapes. Police recovered both the devices.
Upon searching Dhankhar’s apartment in October 2018, police discovered 47 videos of him having sexual intercourse with women. Few of the victims were unconscious, while others were seen to be struggling and groaning.
The victim’s name was labelled in each of the rape videos and organised into folders.
On October 21, 2018, Dhankhar was arrested after his fifth victim came to her senses even as he was assaulting her. She hid in the bathroom and sent messages to a friend.
A lengthy trial took place as Dhankhar pleaded not guilty, claiming all five women had agreed having sex, as well as being filmed. Lengthy cross-examination in court was taken of all five of his accusers. The jury was also shown recordings of the sexual assaults.
According to the reports, the jury was horrified to watch the videos, and at one stage they became unbearable. The jury members asked the judge to be excused early.
Pleading in his defence, Dhankhar said that he lied to women because he was lonely after the failure of an extra-marital affair. He also said he was lonely due to the “unfulfilling” intimacy of his marriage, the report said.
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