Exposed Predator: Community Leader Sentenced for Multiple Rapes

In a shocking court ruling, a respected Indian community leader has received a lengthy prison term for the calculated and manipulative rapes of five Korean women.

Balesh Dhankhar used fraudulent job postings to entice his victims before incapacitating them with drugs at or near his residence. The married IT consultant proceeded to grope and assault the women while recording his heinous acts for future exploitation.

All five victims were either unconscious or severely impaired during the assaults.

Authorities discovered an Excel spreadsheet detailing his interactions with each victim, including personal information and evaluations of their vulnerability.

During sentencing, District Court Judge Michael King noted the unprecedented nature of Dhankhar’s crimes, stating he could not find any similar cases in New South Wales. The judge emphasized that Dhankhar’s actions were premeditated, manipulative, and deeply predatory, showcasing a blatant disregard for the victims’ well-being.

“This was a reprehensible series of calculated predatory acts against five unrelated, vulnerable young women over an extended period,” he remarked.

Victim-survivor advocate Karen Iles praised the judge’s recognition of the profound impact on the victims, one of whom expressed how Dhankhar “has inflicted wounds on my soul.”

“This is precisely why sexual violence is treated as such a grave offense,” Iles stated. “These are horrific crimes, and to shift societal attitudes and behaviors, we require strong deterrents.”

Iles noted that the severity of Dhankhar’s sentence would resonate with many Australian women, as statistics show that one in five have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lives. She highlighted that less than one percent of those who commit rape and sexual assault face any legal repercussions, and most sentences do not involve incarceration.

Before his arrest in 2018, Dhankhar was a well-regarded member of the Indian-Australian community, founding a satellite group of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party and serving as a spokesman for the Hindu Council of Australia. He had a background as a data visualization consultant, collaborating with organizations like the ABC, British American Tobacco, Toyota, and Sydney Trains, after immigrating to Australia as a student in 2006.

The judge remarked on the disparity between Dhankhar’s public image as a community-focused individual and the predatory behavior exposed in court.

Following assaults on his fifth victim in October 2018, police executed a search at his Sydney CBD apartment, seizing date-rape drugs and a video recorder disguised as a clock radio.

In 2023, a jury found him guilty of 39 charges, including 13 counts of sexual assault. Dhankhar maintains his innocence, denying drugging the women or that the encounters were non-consensual, claiming a difference in his interpretation of consent compared to legal standards.

His non-parole period concludes in April 2053, backdated to the end of his trial, at which point he will be 83 years old when his full 40-year sentence concludes.