Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was with the national squad for T20 World Cup in Australia, has been arrested on charges of rape. It has been learnt that the 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested on the night of Saturday, November 5, and taken to Sydney City police station in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2. New South Wales Police Commander Jayne Doherty told the media on Sunday that Gunathilaka had been charged with four counts of “sexual intercourse without consent” against a 29-year-old woman whom he met online in Sydney, CNN reported.
"Danushka 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 Sri Lankan team was eliminated from the tournament after losing to England on Sunday. The left-handed batter played against Namibia in the first-round match of the ongoing T20 World Cup and was out for a duck. Later, he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury even as the team qualified for the Super 12 stage. The Lankan team finished fourth in Group 1. Gunathilaka has been refused bail and will appear in a Sydney court on Monday, police said according to CNN
The New South Wales police, on its website, has also mentioned the arrest of an unnamed Sri Lankan national. "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 said.
According to details on the website, a 29-year-old woman had been 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 1 am today (Sunday 6 November 2022)," the report added. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is yet to issue a statement on the matter.