The News Minute | March 11, 2015 | 11:55 am IST
A Bangladeshi actor who had filed a rape case against the national team’s fast bowler Rubel Hossain, on December 13 last year, said on Tuesday that she was withdrawing the charges.
Naznin Akter Happy, 19, had charged 25-year-old Hossain of rape, claiming that he had promised to marry her while they were having an “intimate affair”.
The allegation had threatened to stop Hossain’s chances of appearing in the 2015 Cricket World Cup as he was remanded in custody by a court in capital Dhaka. He was later granted bail until the end of the tournament in view of “national interest,” as he was a key player in the Bangladeshi squad.
According to reports, Naznin Happy said on local television, Channel 24, that she was not going to give any testimony or evidence against him and added that if she did not carry on with the charges, there was no case.
Happy's lawyer, Debul Dey, also added that he would no longer represent Happy, citing reasons that it was putting pressure on the cricketer while he was representing the country.
Hossain has consistently rejected the allegation of rape and the claims that he had promised to marry her. He has in turn accused Happy of “blackmail”.