National
Police await Lamichhane’s return to take their probe forward
The former cricket captain, accused of raping a minor, reiterates resolve to clear his name.Purushottam Poudel
Suspended Nepal national cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane, who is accused of raping a minor girl, will be taken to Gaushala Police Circle for investigation upon his arrival in Kathmandu.
Lamichhane has announced that he will return to Nepal on October 6.
“After his arrest, he will be taken to the Gaushala Police Circle because a case against him has been filed there,” Nepal Police spokesperson Tek Prasad Rai told the Post.
After accusations of rape against him surfaced, Lamichhane, who was in Trinidad & Tobago to play in the Carribbean Premier League (CPL), had said he would return to Nepal soon.
After the minor filed a police complaint against him on September 6, the Kathmandu District Court on September 8 issued an arrest warrant against the star leg spinner.
That very day, he took to social media to claim that he was innocent and would return to Nepal to fight a legal battle.
However, when Lamichhane did not return for about a month, the Nepal Police issued a diffusion notice against him through the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) on September 23.
Within 24 hours of arrest, investigation officers will have to produce him before the court. But due to Dashain holidays, he will be taken there only after the court opens on October 11.
During the Dashain vacation, the court will hear only habeas corpus cases. His relatives or someone else may try to release him on habeas corpus if they find any ground for that, advocate Rudra Sharma told the Post.
The court will decide whether he can be sent to judicial custody for further investigation. “According to legal provisions, if the court decides to remand him in custody, police officers should complete the investigation against him within 25 days,” said Rai, the police spokesperson.
Lamichhane wrote on social media on Saturday that he would return to Nepal on October 6 and surrender himself to the authorities. Claiming his innocence, Lamichhane has vowed to fight a legal battle against the “false allegations”.
“I have unwavering faith in the legal system,” reads his statement. “I strongly believe in the law enforcement officials and honourable courts, all I only [sic] want justice to be served as soon as possible.”
A 17-year-old girl had filed a complaint against Lamichhane at the Metropolitan Police Range, Gaushala in Kathmandu. According to police, 22-year-old Lamichhane had allegedly taken the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Nagarkot on August 21 and raped her in a hotel room the same night.
The immigration department black-listed Lamichhane on September 11. The Cricket Association of Nepal has suspended him from the National cricket team.