KATHMANDU (Reuters) – A Nepalese court issued an arrest warrant for the captain of the national cricket team on Thursday, police said, after a 17-year-old girl accused him of rape.
Sandeep Lamichhane, 22, has been the poster child for cricket’s rise in mountainous Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018 but remains a long way from playing in a World Cup.
The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snatched up by the Capitals of Delhi for the money-making Indian Premier League in 2018, and he has been the most searched Nepalese cricketer in international T20 leagues ever since.
A 17-year-old girl, accompanied by a guardian, filed a complaint against the player earlier this week, alleging he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu last month after they met and went out.
Lamichhane currently plays for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League which takes place across the West Indies. His latest Instagram post, posted three days ago, was tagged at a hotel in Saint Lucia.
“The District Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sandeep Lamichhane for further investigation,” Kathmandu district police spokesman Dinesh Mainali told AFP.
Police said on Wednesday they could seek help from law enforcement abroad, or Interpol, if he was not in Nepal.
Lamichhane was named captain of the Nepal national team last year.
Sandeep Lamichhane, 22, has been the poster child for cricket’s rise in mountainous Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018 but remains a long way from playing in a World Cup.
The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snatched up by the Capitals of Delhi for the money-making Indian Premier League in 2018, and he has been the most searched Nepalese cricketer in international T20 leagues ever since.
A 17-year-old girl, accompanied by a guardian, filed a complaint against the player earlier this week, alleging he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu last month after they met and went out.
Lamichhane currently plays for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League which takes place across the West Indies. His latest Instagram post, posted three days ago, was tagged at a hotel in Saint Lucia.
“The District Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sandeep Lamichhane for further investigation,” Kathmandu district police spokesman Dinesh Mainali told AFP.
Police said on Wednesday they could seek help from law enforcement abroad, or Interpol, if he was not in Nepal.
Lamichhane was named captain of the Nepal national team last year.