Cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka of Sri Lanka arrested on Rape Charges in Sydney.

Sri Lankan Cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney on grounds of sexually assaulting a woman he met through a online dating app on November 2 while he was in Australia for the T20 World Cup. Post which the cricketer was taken to the Sydney City police station early in the morning on Sunday.

"Daushka Gunathilaka has been arrested for an alleged rape. The Sri Lankan team has left Australia without him," a source close to the Sri Lankan team told PTI.

The New South Wales police, on its website, also mentioned the alleged arrest of the Sri Lankan national but without the mention of his name. The article was titled as "Man charged after alleged sexual assault - Eastern Suburbs."

"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 stated.

According to details mentioned in the report, a woman of 29 years old was apparently 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 confirmed through a press release that it was notified by the ICC that the cricketer has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault and that SLC will closely investigate the matter along with the ICC and accordingly take action against him if found guilty.

The official media release by SLC said,

"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).

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."

Earlier, Gunathilaka was ruled out from the ongoing T20 match following an injury yet the cricketer was retained in the team as a “stand-by player," stated the SLC in its latest media release.

The Sri Lankan team's journey ended in the T20 match following their defeat to England on Saturday.