Indian origin man in Australia held guilty for raping 5 Korean women

An Indian origin man in Australia has been convicted after he confessed to drugging and raping five Korean women and also filming their acts on a hidden camera.

Balesh Dhankhar, is a prominent member of the Indian diaspora in Australia with political ties. He faced trial over 39 charges including 39 counts of rape committed between January and October 2018.He has been found guilty of all charges by a jury at the District Court in Sydney on Monday.

The 43-year old data expert broke down in court when the jury foreman replied 'guilty.' He will face the court again following which the sentencing will take place.

The jury held that Dhankhar had a very specific modus operandi to ensnare the women with a fake job posting for Korean translators. He used the same hotel, cafe and Korean restaurant to meet the women before he took them to his studio apartment in Sydney under false pretences.

The prosecutors said that Dhankhar spiked glasses of wine and other drinks with sleeping tablets also known as the date-rape drug Rohypnol. He is also said to have filmed the rapes on a hidden camera, which were recovered by the police.

When his apartment was searched by the police in October 2018, they found 47 votes of him have a sexual intercourse with the women, some of whom were unconscious.

Dhankhar was arrested on October 21 2018, after his fifth victim woke up while he was assaulting her, and sent messages to a friend while hiding in the bathroom.

Dhankhar on his part pleaded not guilty and said that all the women were consenting in nature. All the five of his accusers were subject to intense cross-examination in court. The recordings of the sexual assault were also played before the jury.

In his defence, Dhankhar explained to the court that he lied to the women because he was lonely after an extra-marital affair broke down. He also blamed his loneliness on the 'unfulfilling' intimacy of his marriage.