Indian national absolved of rape charges in Zimbabwe

The rape incident shocked most in the cricket fraternity as one of the two arrested persons was an official associated with one of the series' sponsors.

The Indian side touring to Zimbabwe were struck by an unwanted controversy last Sunday after reports surfaced that two men have been arrested on charges of rape. Earlier it was speculated that they were members of the Indian national side but soon officials confirmed that no cricketer was involved.

The incident shocked most in the cricket fraternity as one of the two arrested persons was an official associated with one of the series’ sponsors. However, on Wednesday, the Indian national was absolved of all charges and released with immediate effect by the High Court at Harare. ALSO READ: Indian arrested in Zimbabwe rewarded ‘Player-of-the-Match’ Jasprit Bumrah after third ODI

As reported by PTI, his company told in a statement, “The High Court Judge at Harare Justice Mawadze, Zimbabwe, after considering merits of the case found no reason to continue to hold the Consultant of ITeamWorks, in custody for an alleged crime, and released him with immediate effect.”

It further added, “The accused, being represented by Dumisani Mthombeni and Hon Jonathan Samukange, claimed innocence and judiciary release was based on the support, cooperation and evidence presented by the accused parties.” READ MORE: 11 cricketers probed for sexual assaults

Since the initial reports involved Indian cricketers and the players’ hotel, the news created quite a stir but the governing body BCCI stepped in to clarify and handled it well. India led by MS Dhoni won both, ODI and T20I series.