Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka, on Sunday, got arrested in Sydney on rape charges while his teammates left Australia without him after playing their last group match of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The New South Wales (NSW) police also shared details about the arrest of the Sri Lankan cricketer on their website. Gunathilaka will be taken to the Court later in the day.
“Sex Crimes Squad detectives have charged a Sri Lankan national following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Sydney’s east last week,” the report said.
According to the NSW police, a 29-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at a residence in Rose Bay earlier this week.
“The woman met with the man after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application; it’s alleged he then sexually assaulted her on the evening of Wednesday, 2 November 2022.
“As part of ongoing investigations, a crime scene examination was undertaken by specialist police at an address in Rose Bay yesterday. Following further inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, shortly before 1am today (Sunday 6 November 2022),” the report added.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) too issued a statement after the news broke out on several Australian TV channels.
“Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney, and Mr. Gunathilaka is due to appear in court tomorrow (7 November 2022),” the statement said.
“SLC will closely monitor the proceedings in court and, in consultation with the ICC, will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty.”
Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of T20 World Cup 2022 came to an end following their defeat against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.
