Three-member committee to probe Sri Lankan batter Danushka Gunathilaka incident
Colombo (PTI): A three-member panel will probe the alleged sexual assault by Sri Lankan batter Danushka Gunathilaka during the T20 World Cup in Australia, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday.
The probe panel comprising retired High Court judge Justice Sisira Ratnayake, attorney Niroshana Perera and attorney Asela Rekawa will also investigate various other alleged incidents involving the reigning Asia Cup winners during their stay in Australia, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) stated.
"Upon submission of the said report by the panel, the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket will take stern disciplinary action against the players and or officials if proved guilty of any wrongdoing or negligence when carrying out official duties," SLC said.
The panel will seek an immediate explanation from the team manager pertaining to Gunathilaka's conduct and other incidents, it added.
There are also reports of "a fight involving another player in a Brisbane casino".
The 31-year-old left-hander, who was arrested on Sunday ahead of the team's departure from Australia, was Monday denied bail by a local court in Sydney, even as the SLC suspended him from all forms of the game with immediate effect.
The Sri Lankan team, which failed to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing fourth in Group 1, had left Australia without Gunathilaka on Saturday.
Gunathilaka was out for a duck in his solitary appearance against Namibia in their Super 12 qualification match.
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Fake call centre duping foreigners busted in Thane; five detained
Thane (PTI): The Thane police have unearthed a bogus call centre that allegedly cheated foreign nationals, particularly US citizens, under the pretext of selling software, an official said on Wednesday.
Five persons, including the call centre owner, were detained after a raid at the premises in the Ambernath area of Maharashtra's Thane district late Tuesday night, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ambernath division) Shailesh Kale told PTI.
The bogus facility was operating from a business centre and functioned under the garb of providing software services, the official said.
"The call centre staff targeted foreign nationals, especially Americans. They contacted them on the phone, lured them with offers of software services and extracted money from them in different forms," Kale said.
The police received a tip-off about the illegal operations and raided the premises. The search operation continued till Wednesday morning, he said.
The employees used to make hundreds of calls to foreign nationals daily and would eventually succeed in duping a few of them, Senior Police Inspector Shabbir Sayyed said.
"They collected advance payments from the victims and blocked them after receiving the money," he said, explaining the modus operandi.
The employees were provided with a specific script for conversations to gain the victims' confidence and persuade them to transfer funds, he added.
The police have seized electronic gadgets and other accessories used in the alleged racket from the premises.
A case has been registered against five persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Indian Telegraph Act, Kale said.
The police were verifying the victims' credentials and nationality.
