Fake job ads, spiked drinks & webcams: How Indian-origin man in Australia lured Korean women and raped them

An Indian-origin man is facing trial for 13 counts of rape , among other crimes against women in Australia. In what comes as a shocking case from Sydney, Balesh Dhankhar, a prominent figure of Sydney’s Indian community, is accused of luring five young Korean women under the pretext of offering them jobs before drugging and raping them, according to Dailymail. The accused was reportedly a data visualisation consultant for Sydney Trains and also held positions with ABC and Pfizer. The report suggests Dhankhar used a fake job advertisement to trap potential targets. Also read: Know what is ‘digital rape’ for which Noida man gets life in prison The trap According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Dhankhar had a fetish for Korean women and sought them out after initial encounters under the pretence of employment interviews. At the beginning of the trial, the crown prosecutor informed the jury that Dhankhar downloaded a lot of pornography that featured young Korean ladies and had a “special interest” in them. He was accused of rape by five of the thirteen survivors, all of whom were Korean. Job scandal In order to trap potential targets who were all in their mid-20s, he developed a fake business called The Asia Partnership with the name of a legitimate company he had previously worked for. According to Moneycontrol, Dhankhar advertised on Gumtree seeking to hire Korean-English speakers in late 2017 and throughout 2018. He would often meet the women at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel bar, across the street from his flat. Also read: Ukraine accuses Russian snipers of sexually assaulting four-year-old girl, gang raping mother in front of father Mixing up women’s drinks He used to spike the women’s drinks with tablets of sleeping pills Stilnox or the infamous date-rape drug Rohypnol in order to take them to his apartment, reported Dailymail. All the survivors were raped at his studio apartment in the World Square complex in the Sydney CBD. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, one of the survivors claimed that after she turned down Dhankhar’s invitation to dinner, he visited her the following day and gave her a document to translate. This time, when she agreed, the two of them proceeded to the adjacent Korean restaurant Koibito. When she felt dizzy, Dhankhar offered to drive her home but instead took her to his apartment. He gave her red wine and taught her salsa dancing while watching Korean music videos. She claimed to remember nothing after that. Another Korean woman claimed that Dhankhar expressed interest in her but she had rejected him. He then led her to his flat and offered wine. Feeling lightheaded, she went to the restroom and texted her friend, “Sister, I feel very intoxicated however slightly different kind of intoxication. And I am worried myself. Keeps trying to kiss me. I am f***ed up.” The third woman claimed to have had ice cream and wine at his flat. She recalled a condom wrapper while experiencing pain and dizziness. She reported him two days later to the police at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Also read: The Netherlands punishes ‘stealthing’: What is this sex crime and which countries have made it illegal? Capturing assault on hidden camera According to Times Now, Dhankhar had an alarm clock with a hidden camera. He would either use this or his cell phone to record the sexual assault of every woman who fell into his trap. Even though he had some evidence of consensual intimacy, it was obvious that the women were not aware that the room was being filmed. Pieces of evidence found It is claimed that DNA evidence from Dhankhar’s bedding and a spreadsheet with women’s names were discovered during the police raid on his residence in October 2018. Several notes on the purportedly discovered spreadsheet on Dhankhar’s phone speak to women being confused or irate over “Base 4,” which authorities claim is a reference to sexual activity. The court was informed that a camera hidden within an alarm clock and a wine and sports drink bottle found in Dhankhar’s refrigerator were both allegedly found to contain two different sedatives. In his backpack, a hard drive with 47 recordings of him having sex with Korean women was discovered. The videos were organised into folders with the names of the women. The trial Dhankhar is accused of 13 rapes between January and October 2018. Additionally, he is accused of making 17 intimate recordings without consent, using intoxicating substances to conduct an offence, and assault with a defiant act on six separate occasions. He has pleaded not guilty in the matter and has spent the previous four years trying in vain to have his name cleared. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .