Indian-born bar owner in Singapore sentenced to 13 years in prison for raping a minor

Singapore: A 42-year-old bar owner of Indian origin has been sentenced to 13 years and four weeks in prison in Singapore for allegedly raping a 17-year-old runaway girl.

The Kashmir Media Service reported that the man of Indian origin, named Raj Kumar Bala, worked at a bar on Dunlop Street in the Little India district.

The court also ordered that Bala receive nine strokes of the cane for committing the crime. The verdict was announced on Monday. During the hearing, the court heard that the survivor was 17 years old in February 2020 when she escaped from the Singapore Girls’ Home.

She learned of a job offer at Bala’s Don Bar and Bistro from another runaway who worked there. This other runaway was also sexually abused by Bala, a charge that has been dropped for now.

The incident came to light after the survivor turned herself in. The survivor’s lawyer told the court that she had suffered “significant personal harm” and blamed herself for being in an intoxicated state that led to her rape.

The court also heard that Bala knew the survivor was on the run from the police and depended on him for income and accommodation.

There are other charges pending against Bala, and there are 22 other charges related to five other victims, mostly for sexual offenses.