Indian-origin bar owner jailed for 13 years for raping minor in Singapore
Singapore: A 42-year-old Indian-origin bar owner was sentenced to jail for 13 years and four weeks in Singapore, on charges of raping a runaway 17-year-old girl.
The Kashmir Media Service reported that the Indian-origin man identified as Raj Kumar Bala worked at a bar at Dunlop Street in the Little India district.
The court also ordered Bala to receive nine strokes of the cane for committing the crime. The sentence was announced on Monday. During the hearing, the court learnt that the survivor was 17 years old in February 2020, when she ran away from the Singapore Girls’ Home.
She found out about a job opportunity at Bala’s Don Bar and Bistro through another runaway who was working there. The other runaway was also sexually assaulted by Bala in a charge that stood down for the time being.
The incident came to light after the survivor surrendered herself to the home. The survivor’s lawyer told the court there was “considerable personal harm” inflicted on her, and that she blamed herself for being in an intoxicated state, thus leading to her rape.
The court also learnt that Bala knew the survivor was on the run from the police and was dependent on him for income and shelter.
Bala faces other pending charges, along with 22 more charges related to five other victims, mainly for sex offences.
