Australia: Indian-origin man found guilty of drugging, raping five Korean women | World news
New Delhi: A district court prosecutor in Sydney, Australia on Monday found Indian national Balesh Dhankhar guilty of drugging and raping five Korean women after luring them to his apartment using fake job ads.
He has been described as “one of the worst rapists” in the city’s recent history.
Dhankhar, a data scientist has faced trial on 39 charges including 13 counts of rape committed between January and October 2018.
The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported that the police found several videos showing him abusing the women when they raided his home in Sydney in October 2018. “They distributed the videos in a box, which and each of them has the name of a Korean woman. Then detectives found a series of bookmarks in Dhankhar’s browser,” SMH said.
SMH reported that it all started with a fake job ad for Korean translators posted in 2017. Dhankhar interviewed the victims at the Hilton hotel cafe before plying them into dinner, soju and wine.
Afterwards, Dhankhar would make an excuse to go up to his apartment in World Square Tower. Sometimes he promises a view of the Opera House, or says he needs his car keys.
Dhankhar gives women wine or ice-cream laced with astringents; Traces were found in the blood and hair of two victims. “His wife and family did not live in Australia at the time,” SMH reported.
He was arrested on October 21, 2018, after his fifth victim woke up while he was raping her, and sent a message to a friend while hiding in the bathroom, Daily Mail reported.
The plaintiff attempted to disclose a call list of people who responded to his online advertisement. “The paper includes your victims, whether you think they are attractive, whether they are sexually active and how they react to drug use and abuse,” reported SMH.
Dhankhar recorded his actions using a camera hidden in his bedside alarm clock and on his phone
Dhankhar sold his family’s properties and assets to fund his legal defense. His decision to plead guilty means he faces many years in prison for his crimes.
He asked to be bailed but Judge Michael King refused before Dhankhar was handcuffed and taken away by police.
Dhankhar, 43, will face court again in May and will be sentenced later in the year, a media report said.
With inputs from PTI in Melbourne
