Nepal cricket captain accused of raping minor in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: Nepal cricket team captain, Sandeep Lamichhane, has been accused by a 17-year-old girl of raping her in a hotel room in Kathmandu, police said on Thursday.

The teen-aged girl filed a FIR at Gaushala Metropolitan Police Circle in Kathmandu on Tuesday in which she had accused 22-year-old Lamichhane had raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu some three weeks ago.

According to the case filed at the Police Circle Gaushala, Sandeep allegedly took the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur for a visit on August 21 and raped her in a hotel in Kathmandu the same night.

Police, however, said that it is collecting evidence, including CCTV footage, regarding the incident, It said that nothing can be said without properly investigating the matter.

Lamichhane is currently playing in the Caribbean Premier League CPL. His first international breakthrough came when he became the first cricketer from Nepal to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut for the Delhi Capitals franchise in 2018.

He has been recently appointed the captain of Nepal's National Cricket team.

Lamichhane, who has been accused of raping a minor has, however, denied the charges saying that he is innocent, a media report here said quoting the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

During a telephone conversation with the officials of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), he claimed that he is innocent. He said he would return to Nepal after the League.