Nepal’s Lamichhane ‘will return to fight charges’
THE Nepali cricket star Sandeep Lamichhane defended failing to return home to face rape allegations almost three weeks after an arrest warrant, saying he intends to do so “as soon as possible”.
A Nepali court issued the warrant on September 8 following an allegation by a 17-year-old girl, but Lamichhane is thought to have remained in the Caribbean, where he was playing in a tournament.
With police believed to be preparing to file an arrest warrant with Interpol, Lamichhane last Sunday (25) posted a statement on social media reiterating that the claims against him were baseless.
“News of the arrest warrant issued against me... made me mentally disturbed. I could not think what to do and what not to do,” he said. “My health condition is gradually improving and I am planning to return to Nepal as soon as possible to vehemently fight back (against the allegations).”
Lamichhane, 22, had been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in mountainous Nepal, which gained ODI status in 2018.
The leg-spinner’s big break came when he was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals franchise in the Indian Premier League in 2018, and he has since been Nepal’s most-sought-after cricketer.
After the arrest warrant, he was suspended as captain of the national team. Lamichhane also pulled out of the Caribbean Premier League, where he was playing for Jamaica Tallawahs.
The social media post did not reveal his whereabouts, but he is believed to still be in the Caribbean.
The teenage girl, along with her guardian, filed a complaint against the player earlier this month, alleging that he raped her in a Kathmandu hotel room in August.
Police official Bharat Bohora on Monday (26) declined to comment on Lamichhane’s latest posts, saying that investigators have had no contact with the cricketer. “The police is investigating the rape complaint filed against Sandeep Lamichhane. The investigation is at a preliminary stage,” Bohora said.