Police investigating Sandeep Lamichhane case

KATHMANDU: The police are investigating after receiving a complaint against the captain of the national cricket team, Sandeep Lamichhane, that he raped a teenage girl. The Kathmandu Police team reached the hotel and Nagarkot in Pingalasthan, Kathmandu, where the incident took place on Wednesday.

A complaint was lodged with the police on Tuesday saying that Captain Lamichhane sexually abused a 17-year-old girl. Lamichhane, who belongs to Syangja, is currently living in Budanilkantha. Currently, Lamichhane is in the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia to play league cricket. It is mentioned in the complaint that Captain Lamichhane called the girl and took her to the hotel on August 21 (Bhadra 5). In the evening, Lamichhane took the girl to Nagarkot from Baneshwar. They spent some time at a resort in Nagarkot. The police have reached Nagarkot to collect physical evidence of the case.

The police are investigating the matter including the time they entered the Nagarkot resort, their activities and the time they left. Similarly, a police officer informed them that if there is a CCTV camera in the resort, they will also collect the footage and return.

After returning from Nagarkot, Sandeep and the girl reached a hotel in Pingalasthan. It is revealed that they reached the hotel at 11:55 pm. It has been revealed that they have also booked room number 305 of the hotel. The police have reached the hotel and taken the CCTV footage including the time they stayed there and the statements of the staff.It is said that they left the hotel after 6 am.

The day after the incident, captain Lamichhane flew out for an international match against Kenya. The victim girl has mentioned in the complaint that she was raped the day before leaving. A police officer mentioned in the complaint informed that he met Lamichhane through social media. The girl stayed in a hostel in Kathmandu and connected with Lamichhane while chatting on snap chat. The girl says that she was a fan of Lamichhane and said that the conversation started from Snapchat.

Nepalese law prohibits consensual sexual intercourse under the age of 18. If the incident is confirmed as mentioned in the complaint, Sandeep faces the possibility of 10 to 12 years imprisonment. The police are also preparing to get an arrest warrant against Captain Lamichhane from the district court if there is evidence to support the victims claim after the investigation.