In a sensational piece of news, Nepal cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane has found himself in legal trouble after being accused of rape by a 17-year-old girl in Kathmandu.
The District Police range in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city, has confirmed that this minor girl has lodged a complaint against the 22-year-old leg-spinner for raping her twice.
In her complaint, the girl has alleged that Sandeep Lamichhane raped her on August 21 at a hotel in Kathmandu. She has revealed that she met the Nepal skipper through a mutual friend, and she had gone to Nagarkot with Lamichhane on August 17.
Sandeep Lamichhane then left for Kenya on August 22 to lead his side in the 5-match T20I series against Kenya. Nepal won the series 3-2, with Lamichhane being the Player of the Series for taking 12 wickets.
After that the leg-spinner left for West Indies to feature in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL), however, Lamichhane hasn’t played in the tournament so far.
The teenage girl is under police protection and underwent a health check-up
“Nepal Police starts investigation over alleged rape complaint against Nepali national Cricket team Captain Sandeep Lamichhane, after a minor aged 17 lodged the case,” stated Nepal Police in a statement to new agency ANI on Wednesday (September 7).
The chief of the Kathmandu District Police Range, Bharat Bahadur Bohora, said that the police station in Gaushala in the capital city registered the complaint on Wednesday.
Revealing the details further, the minor girl said that she was a fan of Lamichhane, and they both used to chat on WhatsApp and Snapchat. She added it was Lamichhane who first proposed a meeting, and on the eve of the Nepal team’s departure to Kenya on September 22, he took her on a trip to Bhaktapur.
As the hostel closed at 8 pm, the teenage girl was asked to spend the night with Lamichhane at a hotel in Pingalasthan of Kathmandu, according to the complaint. She alleged that Lamichchane drugged her and raped her twice.
“The police are sensitive to such serious incidents. We have made the supposed survivor undergo a health checkup and launched an investigation,” says Rabindra Prasad Dhanuk, the Kathmandu Valley Police Office chief.
Sandeep Lamichhane has played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL
The 22-year-old leg-spinner has featured in the IPL for a couple of seasons in 2018 and 2019, wherein he snapped up 13 wickets in 9 IPL games. He has turned out in a number of T20 franchise leagues around the world, in all snaring 193 wickets from 136 T20 games at a terrific average of 17.76. For Nepal, in 44 T20I, Lamichhane has picked up 85 scalps at a phenomenal average of only 12.4.
