An unnamed member of the Indian contingent to Zimbabwe has been arrested on alleged charges of raping a local woman, as reported earlier by Sportskeeda. The culprit is believed to be an official among the group affiliated to one of the sponsors of the Indian Cricket Team.
This morning, Asian News International released a statement saying one of the players had been found guilty on charges of sexual harassment. This was later clarified by them. News has since emerged that the culprit has denied all charges of his guilt and is ready to undergo a DNA test to prove his innocence. Sources also suggest that the Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe has been working closely with the case and has assured unconditional cooperation with the Indian players.
Harare Assistant Police Commissioner, Charity Caramba told New Zimbabwe, "The victim has pointed an Indian national from the batch that came in last week, at this point I'm not in the position to reveal whether it's a player or official as I'm bound by law. But, what I can confirm is that the accused appeared in court on Saturday."
She was also quoted as describing the details of the incident to the local daily. She said that the scene of the crime was the Meikles Hotel in the capital where the team are currently lodged. According to sources, the victim was taking a stroll in the lobby during which she was allegedly drugged and sexually molested. It has since been confirmed by New Zimbabwe that according to her statement, she woke up to “bloodied undergarments in one of the Indian cricketer's rooms” also saying that she did not seem to have any recollection of how she got there.
"We have concluded our investigation, but both the police and courts have to handle the issue with care as it can lead to a potential diplomatic feud," Charamba added. When Sportskeeda asked the hotel for details, it was requested that all questions be redirected to the ambassador to Zimbabwe.
Owing to the sensitive nature of the case, so far the incident has been kept as private as possible so as not to spark a controversy during the ongoing T20I series between the two countries. Hopefully, diplomacy will not stand in the way of truth and justice. Although nothing has been proven so far, cases of sexual violence require a great amount of sensitivity on the part of the person handling them.
Zimbabwe currently lead the three-match T20I series 1-0.
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