BJP activist who received PM Modi in Australia, Balesh Dhankhar held for sexual assault
Allegations include luring women by posting fake job ads, interviewing victims
New Delhi: Balesh Dhankhar, a prominent BJP activist, is facing trial after being charged with 13 counts of sexual assault, 17 of intimate recordings without consent, six of using intoxicating substances to commit offence and assault with act of indecency.
Dhankhar, who is the founder-president of the ‘Overseas Friends of BJP’ in Australia and a former associate of the Hindu Council of Australia, played a major role in organizing the reception of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sydney, during Modi’s Australia visit in 2014. According to Australian media reports, Dhankhar had boasted about his access to Modi and had posted his photos with Modi on his social media accounts.
The police said that the activist had filmed himself with a camera hidden in an alarm clock, sexually assaulting five women he had lured to Hotel Hilton, with fake job interview offers.
A local newspaper had quoted Dr. Yadu Singh, a community leader, saying that Dhankhar had also been involved in organizing community rallies for Modi in Sydney, in November 2014. Dr. Singh, who spoke in relation to the charges on Dhankhar, said that the persons concerned had not duly responded to the reports in a Sydney community newspaper on Dhankhar’s activities. “These allegations are obviously serious and the Australian judicial process will surely take them to the rightful conclusion in due course,” Dr. Singh added.
On Tuesday, Sydney Morning Herald reported that the prosecutor told the jury at the opening of the trial that Dhankhar was ‘interested’ in young Korean women. He had allegedly posted advertisements on ‘Gumtree’ on translation work for Korean-English speakers, and met them at the bar of the Hotel Hilton, which was near his apartment in Sydney.
The report said that Dhankhar had a “state of mind to satisfy his particular sexual interest” by posing as an interviewer and lying to them, “so he could commit sexual acts on them and make intimate recordings of them – and do so whilst they were under the influence of a substance.”
Sydney Morning Herald, in its report on the court room proceedings, said that a young lady recalled having ice cream and one glass of wine at Dhankhar’s house, but nothing after that, until a late-night call to her boyfriend. Rather, she remembered being naked and feeling dirty and dizzy, she remembered bright lights, a condom wrapper and experiencing pain.
The jury was told that Dhankhar had a tendency to record intimate images as well as videos of unconscious Asian and Korean women.
Rebecca Mitchell, who is Dhankhar’s lawyer, admitted that Dhankhar had a sexual interest in women, used fake ads to meet them, and was ‘deceptive’. She stated that Dhankhar did not dispute having a sexual relationship with the women.
The advocate, however, argued, “Dhankhar’s case is that each of the complainants consented to sexual acts they engaged in but the prosecution needed to prove Dhankhar’s guilt.”
The activist also disputed that the images were taken without consent of the women and that he drugged them, Mitchell said.
Officer in-charge of the case Sergeant Katrina Gyde told the court that a hard drive, containing 47 videos of the accused having sexual intercourse, was found in Dhankhar’s backpack.
‘Overseas Friends of BJP’ leader, who received Modi in Australia, arrested on rape charges
— Dr. Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) March 16, 2023
Warning — Harsh details in news coverage. https://t.co/UaUWpcJNBb
Australia: Balesh Dhankhar the president of RW ruling BJP party of PM Modi is a sex criminal on trial for 39 charges including 13 counts of rape allegedly committed between January and October 2018. He recorded his act with the victims on camera.#Hindutvahttps://t.co/UhSdT6NuoK
— South Asian Journal (@sajournal1) March 16, 2023
Balesh Dhankhar, prosecutors allege, had a “particular” sexual interest in unconscious Korean women.
— Perry Duffin (@perryduffin1) March 15, 2023
A hidden camera was allegedly found in his apartment.
He is charged with drugging, raping and filming five women after fake job interviews.https://t.co/QTxnKBFMTY @smh
Balesh Dhankhar is the President of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) Australia https://t.co/bVbOuYneOv
— Monsieur Larkin ♘ (@Hakicat) March 16, 2023
In this Facebook post Balesh Dhankar proudly celebrates BJP’s election wins in Gujarat and Himachal https://t.co/u4us00SnLi pic.twitter.com/J0OuAqG3cx
— URScrewed (@URScrewed_) March 16, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
3 Indians arrested in Canada for shooting outside home
Ottawa (PTI): Three Indian nationals have been arrested by Canadian police on an anti-extortion patrol and charged after bullets were fired at a home.
Harjot Singh (21), Taranveer Singh (19) and Dayajeet Singh Billing (21) face one count each of discharging a firearm, and all have been remanded in custody until Thursday, the Surrey Police Service (SPS) said in a statement on Monday.
The suspects were arrested by patrol officers after an early morning report of shots fired and a small fire outside a home in Surrey's Crescent Beach neighbourhood, the LakelandToday reported.
On February 1, 2026, the SPS members were patrolling in Surrey’s Crescent Beach neighbourhood when reports came in of shots being fired and a small fire outside a residence near Crescent Road and 132 Street.
The three accused were arrested by SPS officers a short time later, the statement said.
SPS’s Major Crime Section took over the investigation, and the three men have now been charged with Criminal Code offences, it said.
All three have been charged with one count each of discharging a firearm into a place contrary to section 244.2(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming. All three have been remanded in custody until February 5, 2026.
The SPS has confirmed they are all foreign nationals and has engaged the Canada Border Services Agency, it said.
One of the suspects suffered injuries, including two black eyes, the media report said.
Surrey police Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said on Monday that the suspect had refused to comply with instructions to get out of the ride-share vehicle and started to "actively resist."
"As we were trained, he was taken to the ground and safely handcuffed," said Houghton.
A second suspect with a black eye was also injured in the arrest after refusing to comply, Houghton said.
The arresting officers were part of Project Assurance, an initiative that patrols neighbourhoods that have been targeted by extortion violence.
Houghton said the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is also involved because the men are foreign nationals, and the trio may face additional charges.
It's not clear if the men are in the country on tourist visas, a study permit, or a work permit, but Houghton said CBSA has started its own investigation into the men's status.
Surrey has seen a number of shootings at homes and businesses over the last several months, but there's been an escalation since the new year.
