India’s cricket tour of Zimbabwe was today hit by a massive controversy after an official associated with one of the sponsors of the series was arrested for alleged rape even though he pleaded innocent to the charge.
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 last night at a Harare hotel.
However, official sources in India denied the report, stating that the person arrested was in fact affiliated to one of the sponsors of the ongoing limited-overs series.
The BCCI also stepped in to clarify that none of its players or officials were involved in the alleged incident.
“There is no truth in these allegations. There is no Indian cricketer or any match official involved in this. They have nothing to do with the incident. And if any individual is involved who is not a part of the BCCI or the team, we can’t comment on that,” BCCI President Anurag Thakur said.
(With PTI inputs.)
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