Facing rape charges, Sri Lankan cricketer Gunathilaka denied bail by local court
Sydney (PTI): Arrested on charges of sexual assault on a woman during the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was denied bail after the hearing at a local court here on Monday.
He attended the hearing via a video link in Downing Centre Local Court from Surry Hills cells.
The 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2.
According to a report in 'Sydney Morning Herald', Gunathilaka was handcuffed and wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans and thongs during his virtual attendance at the hearing.
His lawyer Ananda Amaranath made a bail application during the "closed court" hearing and magistrate Robert Williams refused bail, the report said.
"Certainly, we are considering an application to the Supreme Court and that will be done as soon as possible," Amaranth was quoted as saying in the report.
"He'll be disappointed, clearly."
The Sri Lankan team had left Australia without Gunathilaka after being eliminated from the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Amaranath said he understood "some team officials remained in the country". He also said Gunathilaka has no family in Australia.
The left-handed batter played against Namibia in the first round match of the ongoing showpiece 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.
According to local media reports, Gunathilaka and the woman were in touch for a number of days after connecting via an online dating app. The arrest was made from a Sydney hotel just a few hours before the Sri Lankan team left Australia.
The Sri Lankan government has asked Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to conduct an immediate investigation.
The SLC has made it clear it would take strict action against the player if found guilty.
Gunathilaka is no stranger to controversies.
In 2021, he was suspended by SLC for one year after he breached the team's bio-secure bubble on the tour of England along with teammates Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella.
The Board had also handed him a six-month ban in 2018 after he had broken the team curfew. In the same year, Gunathilaka was also suspended after his unnamed friend was accused of raping a Norwegian women.
In 2017, the board had suspended him for six limited overs games after it found about Gunathilaka missing training sessions and turning up for a game without his cricket gear.
He has represented Sri Lanka in eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20 Internationals.
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Mumbai police arrest actor Sahil Khan in Mahadev betting app case
Mumbai, Apr 28: The Mumbai cyber cell's SIT on Sunday arrested actor Sahil Khan in connection with the Mahadev betting app case, a police official here said.
The actor was apprehended from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh on Saturday after the Bombay High Court rejected his pre-arrest bail plea, he said.
He was subsequently brought to Mumbai and placed under arrest, the official said.
Khan was recently questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed in connection with the case.
The actor, known for films like ‘Style’ and ‘Excuse Me’, has become a fitness expert.
The Mumbai police had earlier arrested one person in connection with the case, the official said.
Khan is the second person to be arrested by the city police in the case, he said.
The SIT has been conducting a probe into the alleged illegal transactions between certain financial and real estate firms in the state and the promoters of the controversial Mahadev betting app.
The size of the scam is about Rs 15,000 crore, as per the first information report (FIR) registered by the Matunga police here in the case.
An investigation is underway against Khan and 31 other individuals. The probe involves examining their bank accounts, mobile phones, laptops, and all technical equipment, according to the police.
While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating money laundering angle in the Mahadev betting app case, Mumbai police have registered a separate case against 32 persons.
Notably, Chhattisgarh’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/Economic Offence Wing (EOW) on April 24 said it has arrested two persons - from New Delhi and Goa - in connection with the alleged illegal operations of the Mahadev online gaming and betting application that purportedly involved senior politicians and bureaucrats from that state.
The ED has separately arrested nine persons so far as part of its probe in the money laundering-linked case.
#WATCH | Actor Sahil Khan brought to Mumbai from Chhattisgarh. He has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch's SIT in connection with the Mahadev Betting App case.
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2024
“I believe in the judiciary of the country, " he says pic.twitter.com/HirOzizuXb
#WATCH | Mahadev Betting App case | Mumbai: Actor Sahil Khan's lawyer Mujahid Ansari says, "They wanted a remand to investigate. They had produced their ground in the Session Court and the High Court that there are 2000 SIM cards and 1700 bank accounts... The court has sent him… pic.twitter.com/rsJNeZ5VMo
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2024
