The Indian cricket camp heaved a collective sigh of relief after the identities of those facing the rape charges in Zimbabwe were confirmed, says a report in The Indian Express, adding that the cricketers had spent the day volleying awkward questions and phone calls from back home following a website report in Zimbabwe.
“They were informed that the issue was sorted out when they arrived at their hotel after having spent the afternoon watching the movie, You Can See Me 2,” said the Indian Express report.
Meanwhile, two Indian nationals, one of them linked to the in-stadia rights-holder of the ongoing India-Zimbabwe ODI series, have been arrested on alleged rape charges in Harare, said local police. The two accused were identified as Krishna Satyanarayan, who is associated with ITW Sports, and Rajkumar Krishnan, a Zambia-based businessman. Satyanarayan works as a consultant for iTeamWorks, an affiliate company of ITW. A June 11 press release by Zimbabwe Cricket had described him as the co-founder of ITW Sports. Satyanarayan and Krishnan were staying at Meikles Hotel, where the rape is alleged to have occurred, police said. The hotel also houses the Indian cricket team, which led to early speculation by a website newzimbabwe.com linking one of the cricketers to the alleged incident — the report was dismissed by officials.
According to a report in The DNA, the storm erupted after the Zimbabwean media reported that an unnamed Indian cricketer had been arrested on charges of rape. The reports stated that India's ambassador to the African nation, R Masakui, had tried to prevent the player's arrest at a Harare hotel. However, Masakui outrightly rejected the media speculation by clarifying that the person arrested was not associated with the Indian squad which is currently engaged in a limited-overs series against Zimbabwe.
"This is an unfortunate incident. However, this is to clarify that no cricketer is involved in this. We are seeking Counsellor access to persons and the Indian Embassy in Harare is following up with this case and will inform the government of India of the developments," Masakui said.
