Indian-origin man drugged, raped 5 Korean women in Sydney: Report

By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 25, 2023, 12:34 PM IST

A District Court jury in Sydney found the "politically connected predator" lured five Korean women into a web of lies, paralysed them with drugs and hoarded trophies of his callous assaults, as per a report.

Balesh Dhankhar, a well-known member of the Indian community in Australia, was convicted of drugging and raping five Korean women in Sydney, according to a media report. It called him "one of the worst rapists" in the city's recent history.

According to the media reports, a District Court jury in Sydney's Downing Centre concluded the "politically connected predator" seduced five Korean women into a web of falsehoods, drugged them into paralysis, and hoarded the trophies of his heartless crimes.

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According to the report, Dhankhar also captured footage of his sexual assaults on his phone and a camera disguised in his alarm clock by the bed.

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Dhankhar, a data expert, cried on Monday as the jury foreman replied “guilty” to each of the 39 charges against him. Before Dhankhar was apprehended and carried away by police, Judge Michael King rejected his request to continue being free on bail.

Dhankhar, 43, will return to court in May and get his punishment later this year, according to the newspaper. His wife, who frequently sobbed in court, stood by him.

The only time Dhankhar cried was while explaining he lied to women because he was lonely after an extra-marital affair broke down. According to the article, he attributed his loneliness on his marriage's "unfulfilling" intimacy.

According to the report, investigators discovered other footage of Dhankar with different women throughout 2018. The women might be awake at times or struggle and groan as if they are having a nightmare. Each folder containing the movies was named after a Korean woman. Then, investigators discovered many bookmarks on Dhankhar's browser. The contents of the videos are too confronting to describe in detail.

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(WIth PTI Inputs)

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