Bar owner of Indian origin from Singapore rapes 17-year-old runaway and is sentenced to 13 years in prison

An Indian-origin bar owner from Singapore has been sentenced to 13 years and four weeks in prison for raping a 17-year-old runaway after allowing her to work for him. Raj Kumar Bala, 42, was convicted of raping and sexually abusing the victim. He also pleaded guilty to a third charge of harbouring a runaway under the Children and Young Persons Act, PTI reported. His sentence, announced on Monday, also includes nine strokes of the cane.

The victim was 17 years old when she escaped from the Singapore Girls’ Home in 2020. Another runaway had told her about a job offer at Bala’s Don Bar and Bistro on Dunlop Street in the Little India district, where several hotels, motels and restaurants are located.

When the victim met Bala for an interview, he described her duties as serving customers and preparing drinks. He also reportedly told her that she could stay at the bar with other runaways.

Another runaway was also alleged to have been sexually abused by Bala, but the charges have been “withdrawn” or put on hold for the time being, PTI reported.

The victim had only been working at the bar for a few days when police received a tip about absconding employees at Bala’s bar. The establishment was raided in the early hours of February 22, 2020.

The victim fled with another girl, and they were picked up by Bala and driven to his apartment complex. Bala told the girls that they could stay in the apartment before they started drinking alcohol. The victim was heavily intoxicated when she was raped by Bala, who allegedly also performed sexual acts on the other girl.

The victim left the apartment in July 2020 and returned to her house. She did not tell them about the rape until August 2020.

According to the PTI report, Judge Mavis Chionh found in her verdict that the victim had suffered “significant personal harm” and that the runaway woman also blamed herself for being intoxicated at the time of the crime.

The judge found that Bala knew that the victim was dependent on him for income and accommodation because she was young and on the run from the police.

Her statement in court was confirmed by her ex-boyfriend.

According to the report, defence lawyer Ramesh Tiwary said Bala had asked for bail pending an appeal. Bala faces 22 other charges related to five other victims, mostly for sexual offences, PTI reported. The charges are still pending in court.