On Wednesday, the District Police Range Kathmandu through its official Facebook page informed that a rape complaint had been filed against Sandeep Lamichhane, captain of Nepal’s national cricket team.

Not only did the District Police Range disclose the details on the location of the alleged crime but also revealed the name of the lab where the victim’s vaginal swab sample was taken for testing.

Some have questioned the police’s approach of going public with the details of the case including Mohna Ansari, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission.

“The way that the location of the hotel where the incident took place and the time at which it occurred has been mentioned in the post can lead to tampering of evidence, which is vital to take the case forward,” said Ansari. “It challenges the case itself.”

Disclosure of the incident’s details subjects the case to various social and political pressures, raising questions about ethics and fairness in the investigation, experts say.

“The hotel is a crime scene. With the disclosure of the crime scene, the police have risked tampering with crucial evidence,” said Rashtra Bimochan Timalsena, assistant director of the National Law College.

However, the spokesperson for the District Police Range Kathmandu, Dinesh Raj Mainali, says the police mentioned the location of the hotel where the alleged crime took place to move police procedure ahead.

“We disclosed the location of the hotel to notify which range of metropolitan police is responsible for the case,” Mainali told the Post.

According to Tek Prasad Rai, spokesperson for Nepal Police, a 17-year-old girl, in the presence of her guardian, registered a complaint at the Gaushala police circle on Tuesday, alleging Lamichhane of forcing her to have sex with him.

The District Police Range Kathmandu, through a Facebook post, informed that the victim was taken for a medical examination by the police at a crisis management centre.

The medical report was yet to come as of Wednesday evening.

“A minor has filed a rape case with the police against Nepali national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane. The police took her for a medical examination following the complaint,” Rai said.

According to police, the victim and Lamichhane met on the social media platform ‘Snapchat.’ They struck up a friendship following which

Lamichhane asked the 17-year-old to meet him.

As per the complaint filed with the police, on the evening of August 21 Lamichhane picked the victim up in a private vehicle; the duo then left for Nagarkot.

While in Nagarkot, the victim repeatedly asked to be taken back to her hostel in Kathmandu, the complaint states.

They left Nagarkot for Kathmandu later that night and checked into a hotel in Kathmandu as the hostel where she was staying was closed.

According to the victim, Lamichhane sexually abused her at the hotel where they stayed after coming back to Kathmandu. The police took CCTV footage from the hotels in Nagarkot and Kathmandu where cricketer Lamichhane and the victim had stayed on August 21.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the District Police Range Kathmandu, Bharat Bohara, confirmed that Lamichhane along with the victim had checked into the hotel. “CCTV footage shows that Lamichhane was with the girl who has accused him of raping her in the hotel room,” Bohora told the Post.

“Our investigating team travelled to Nagarkot and visited the hotel there as well as in Kathmandu where the alleged crime took place,” said Bohara. “We are now focussing on evidence collection. The owners of the hotels in Nagarkot and Kathmandu are being interrogated.”

The 22-year-old leg spinner is the most sought-after Nepali cricket player having featured in mega international crickets like the Indian Premier League (IPL), Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and Global T20 League of Canada, among other international franchises.

Whatever the outcome of the current investigation, the allegations could jeopardize his cricket career, with both the national team as well as the various T20 outfits he plays for around the world.

Cricket governing body the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) declined to comment if it would take action against the national captain. While CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand could not be reached for comment, General Secretary Prashant Bikram Malla said on late Wednesday evening that President Chand had just arrived in Kathmandu from Dhangadhi and they would discuss the matter later in the evening.

Lamichhane is in Trinidad & Tobago to play in the Caribbean Premier League. He was part of the national team that played ODI and T20 series against Kenya.

The national team skipper had left Nepal on August 22. According to the complaint, the incidents took place the night before and in the morning of the day he left for Kenya.