Reports: Nepal Police seek Interpol's help to locate cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane

The Sandeep Lamichhane case has taken another turn as Nepal police have now sought help from the Interpol to locate the country’s captain, who has been missing since his suspension. Following a rape claim made by a 17-year-old girl, a Nepali court issued an arrest order for Lamichhane earlier this month.

The leg-spinner, though, is believed to have stayed in the Caribbean, where he was participating in a competition. According to Tek Prasad Rai, a spokesman for the Nepali police, Interpol filed a "diffusion" notice against him on Sunday, requesting the assistance of member nations in identifying him.

"We hope this will help the arrest of Lamichhane for the investigation of a rape complaint case against him," he said.

On social media on Sunday, Lamichhane promised to go back home as quickly as possible to refute the charge. The 22-year-old wrote on Facebook stating that he was in isolation because of his physical and mental health and claimed that the arrest warrant had made him mentally disturbed. He did not specify his location, however.

When cricket in Nepal's hilly region was given one-day international status in 2018, Lamichhane served as its face. He got his breakthrough in 2018, when the Delhi Capitals signed him for the lucrative Indian Premier League. Since then, he has become the most desirable player in Nepal.

He was stripped of his role as team captain after the police warrant was issued, and he also withdrew from the Caribbean Premier League, where he was competing for the Jamaica Tallawahs. Police registered 2,300 rape incidents in Nepal during the most recent fiscal year, but human rights advocates contend that many more assaults go unreported.

All these things affected me mentally: Sandeep

“I have been mentally and physically affected by the portrayal of a criminal based on false allegations, I have been brought back to normal with the advice of doctors and my health is gradually improving and I am planning to return to Nepal as soon as possible to defend the false complaint against me. All these things affected me mentally on the one hand and, on the other hand, I had to go through physical illness. Therefore, I decided to keep myself in isolation for some time,” Lamichhane had said while defending himself.