Following an accusation of rape, an arrest warrant has been issued against Nepal’s cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane by the Kathmandu District Court. The 22-year-old has been accused of raping a minor girl before he left the country in August. Lamicchane is currently taking part in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he represents Jamaica Tallawahs. Before that, he played in the ODI and T20I series against Kenya.
A rape case against the Nepalese cricketer was filed on Tuesday at the Gaushala Police Circle. Post that, the police requested a warrant of arrest from the district court for Lamichhane which has been granted successfully. A police officer who worked on the case confirmed that the district court had issued an arrest warrant for Lamichhane.
“The district court has issued an arrest warrant for Lamichhane who has been accused of raping a minor,” the police officer was quoted saying by CricTracker.
The complainant has said in her complaint that Lamichhane raped her on the eve of 22 August and on the morning of the day he left for Kenya. The 17-year-old girl has since filed the complaint and passed the necessary health examination, and she is currently under police protection. The girl said that the incident took place in a Kathmandu hotel. The 17-year-old also revealed that she travelled to Nagarkot with Lamichhane after learning about the Nepal skipper from a friend on August 17.
"A rape complaint has been filed against Sandeep Lamichhane. It’s a minor’s complaint, I will give further details regarding this tomorrow. The victim’s health check-up has also been performed this evening," AIG Rabindra Singh Dhanuk of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office had confirmed the report.
While the police is taking all the necessary actions against the accused Lamichhane, the Nepal Cricket Association has not said a single word in this matter. The cricketer himself has not issued any statement in this regard. It is also to be seen if Lamichhane gets summoned by the police while he is still in the Caribbean.