Sri Lankan international player Danushka Gunathilaka has been charged with rape allegations in Sydney, Australia. Australian Police arrested the cricketer on the allegations of raping a 29-year-old woman he met on a dating app.
According to the details, Gunathilaka was in New South Wales for the T20 World Cup when he was arrested from the hotel on Sunday.
After a series of texts and calls, both met for the first date before going to the woman’s home, says Police. Gunathilaka is accused of sexually assaulting her multiple times for several hours. He is being charged with four counts of rape and is denied bail. The international cricketer is due to appear in court.
Just IN:— Australia Police says it has arrested a Sri Lankan cricket player Danushka Gunathilka for rape charges.
— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) November 6, 2022
“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,” New South Wales police said in a statement.
Sri Lanka’s cricket board confirmed the man was 31-year-old Gunathilaka. “Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC (International Cricket Council) that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney,” it said in a statement.
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In a statement, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board says it is closely monitoring the court proceedings. “In consultation with the [International Cricket Council] we will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty,” the statement said.
Gunathilaka has played in eight test matches, 47 one-day internationals (ODI), and 46 T20I games for his country.T20Is for Sri Lanka and was part of the world cup squad of Sri Lanka. He was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The cricketer made his international debut in 2015. His arrest has taken aback the Sri Lankan cricket team who faced an early exit from the group stage in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.