In one of the most stunning criminal cases in Australia in some years, a former IT consultant and leader of the Indian community on the eastern side of Australia, Balesh Singh Dhankhar was jailed for 40 years to serve after his offences conducted a calculated sexual attack against vulnerable women. A distinguished leader in the cultural organisations and a political affiliation at one point of time, the naked fall of Dhankhar indicates a stroke of such a drastic double life that is documented and planned ruthlessly and carried out with shuddersome perfection.
The Public Face of Balesh Dhankhar
Dhankhar, before his crimes were unveiled, was a successful and respectable professional as well as a community advocate. He was a data visualisation consultant (works with Sydney Trains, Toyota and ABC). He was also a leading member of the Indian-Australian diaspora, a spokesperson of the Hindu Council of Australia, and a founder of the Overseas Friends of BJP Australia, an organisation that promoted the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dhankhar appeared in highly socially visible events, conducted political groups at the panel, and even helped in campaigns whenever elections were conducted in India. This likable image and his professional achievement brought him credibility to both the Indian and the wider Australian society.
A Double Life Unveiled
There was a dark side of this respectable image. However, in 2018 a similar pattern started to repeat itself when some young women in South Korea reported shockingly similar accusations. Dhankhar was running spurious advertisements on the Internet promising job services as Korean-to-English translators. Such advertisements tempted his victims to take interviews-which were conducted at his place of residence in Sydney.
The intention that met the horrible level was that of Dhankhar once inside. He intoxicated the women and raped them and videotaped the rapes. The tapes, as the police later found out, had been carefully stored away, Dhankhar had a spread sheet in which every woman was categorised and graded according to the quality of their performance and susceptibility.
Even experienced detectives were appalled by the type of crimes. The prosecution believed that the actions of Dhankhar were very predatory, manipulative and planned. This was not a spur of the moment offender, this was a trophy hunter, an expert that hunted down his prey, and kept souvenirs.
Conviction and Sentencing
After a well-conducted investigation and an emotional trial, Dhankhar was convicted of 39 counts in April 2023. These included:
- 13 counts of rape
- 6 counts of drugging with intent to commit a crime
- 3 counts of indecent assault
- 17 counts of recording intimate images without consent
It was said in the court that he had attacked at least 5 women, all of Korean origin, between 2018 and that they were between 21 and 27 years of age.
March 2025 Judge Michael King gave a sentence of 40 years imprisonment (30 years non-parole). King, in his statements, denounced the behaviour of Dhankhar describing it as one of the most severe sexual offending experienced in courts in history. The judge continued to say that Dhankhar has been found to have no remorse and made several attempts to postpone proceedings through falsely bringing charges regarding the integrity of the legal proceedings.
Community Reaction
The verdict against Balesh Dhankhar has created quite a commotion among people followed by a soul-searching across the Indian-Australian community. Most people had been caught unawares by the realization that a person they looked up to and who they had worked with together could perpetrate these atrocious acts.
At social media sites such as Reddit, there was a lot of outcry about the degree to which the manipulation and violence were happening. Others cited the need to vet the community leaders as well as the need to break the silence in sexual assault among the immigrant and diaspora communities where the groups are especially vulnerable because of a language barrier or visa status.
The case has also been brought to the fore by the women interest groups as a throbbing reminder to the technological-smart offenders who can easily use professional grounds to seek access to their prey. These job recruitment strategies employed by Dhankhar have led to the demands of stricter laws and screening policies on websites that have the highest number of job-seekers, in this case the international students.
The Broader Legal Significance
The conviction of Dhankhar is not only important in terms of the quantity of charges or the duration of the sentence. It has been considered a landmark in regards to Australian legal history in the manner it deals with digital evidence, non-consensual recordings and drug-facilitated assault.
In the past, it was often more challenging to prosecute stealth crimes which concern the perps who conceal their identities behind a fake name or employ technology to hustle victims. However there was too much evidence of intent and planning offered by the digital trail left behind by Dhankhar in the form of videos, documents, spreadsheets and emails.
The case has also attracted some proposals among legal analysts who believe that this may form a precedent in harsher punishment of such crimes by use of modern manipulation through technology.
From Influencer to Inmate
What is more appalling about the case of Dhankhar is the deception involved. He did not belong to the outside, was not a loner at all, he was a member of those in authority. Being one of the founders of political lobby organization affiliates of ruling BJP party in India as well as one who was involved in the diaspora politics he had been in the room with an ambassador, religious leader and business people. To most, he stood as an emblem of cultural triumph in multicultural Australia.
Today, he is a known convicted serial rapist, a man whose malicious deeds will never be forgotten at least to clean his name but also to the credibility of institutions that at one time had him without any close inspection.
Moving Forward
The case of Balesh Dhankhar is a cold reminder that a shark may literally be among us. It points to the importance of being vigilant, accountable and aiding the victims, particularly the international or vulnerable ones. It is also important to mention the bravery of the women who stepped out and faced the possibility of personal suffering and social censure to help bring to justice a violent man.
The Dhankhar case is an event that will be remembered as a warning to others like-minded, especially as Australia tries to deal with the apparent split of the distinction between on-and offline societies.
