Community Leader Sentenced for Heinous Crimes Against Women

Balesh Dhankhar, a former Indian community leader in Australia, was sentenced to 40 years for the calculated rapes of five Korean women. He lured them with fake job ads, drugged, assaulted, and filmed them. A jury convicted him of 39 offences. His prison term will end in 2053.

Balesh Dhankhar, a prominent figure within the Indian community in Australia, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for a series of premeditated and egregious crimes against five Korean women, according to a media report.

Dhankhar, a former IT consultant, concocted fake job advertisements to lure his victims before drugging and sexually assaulting them in his Sydney residence. He meticulously recorded his heinous acts, revealing his manipulative and predatory nature.

Judge Michael King condemned his actions as an ''egregious sequence of planned predatory conduct,'' highlighting the disconnect between Dhankhar's public persona and his predatory private behavior. Until his 2018 arrest, Dhankhar was well-regarded within the community, playing influential roles and masking his true character.

(With inputs from agencies.)