KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 19

Kathmandu District Court has given permission to police to extend the judicial custody of suspended Captain of the Nepali National Cricket Team Sandeep Lamichhane by four more days starting yesterday.

KDC today allowed time for police to investigate the rape charge against Lamichhane for the third time. A 17-year-old girl has accused him of raping her.

Meanwhile, police completed recording Lamichhane's statement before the government district attorney.

Lamichhane has been in police custody since October 6 after police arrested him from Tribhuvan International Airport.

Police have to file a case at the court within 25 days from the day of arrest.

On September 6, a girl along with her guardian filed a complaint against Lamichhane at Gausala Police Circle. The girl accused him of raping her in a hotel room in Sinamangal on the night of August 21.

Lamichhane had left the country for Kenya to participate in the Cricket T-20 series in Nairobi, Kenya early next morning. Later he travelled to West Indies to participate in the Caribbean Premier League.

Lamichhane faced the charge while he was captain of the national cricket team. Later, the Cricket Association of Nepal suspended him from the national squad following the issuance of arrest warrant.

Police have charged Lamichhane under Section 219 of the Criminal Code Act 2017, which criminalises sex with a minor.

The government attorney can seek up to 10 to 12 years of imprisonment for the accused as per legal provisions.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 20, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.