Former Mumbai Indians player Shivalik Sharma has been arrested on charges of rape, according to multiple media reports.
The 26-year-old cricketer, who plays for Baroda and is a teammate of Hardik and Krunal Pandya, was picked up by Rajasthan Police and take into custody.
Reports state that a complaint was filed at the Kudi Bhagatsani police station in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur and Sharma was brought to the court by the authorities and sent to judicial custody.
Who is Shivalik Sharma?
Shivalik Sharma is a left handed batting all-rounder who made his debut as a teenager for Baroda in 2018. He has represented the state in 18 first-class matches and scored 1,087 runs.
In the T20 format, Sharma has scored 349 runs from 17 innings at an average of 24.92 and a strike-rate of 147.88 and in List A cricket, which is the 50 over format, he has 322 runs to his name.
Sharma was bought for ₹20 lakh by Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season. However, he didn’t play a single game for the 5-time champions and has since been released.
The complaint
The complainant is a woman who was in a relationship with Sharma. She has accused him of engaging in physical relations with her under the false pretext of marriage.
Media reports state the duo met during a trip to Vadodara in February 2023 and developed a close relationship, maintaining regular contact over the phone.
Eventually, this relationship led to an engagement as both families met and finalised the union in August 2023 when Sharma’s parents visited Jodhpur.
Other proposals
The duo engaged in a physical relationship after the engagement and even travelled together across Rajasthan.
However, in August 2024, when the complainant visited Sharma’s parents in Vadodara, they informed her that they were considering other marriage proposals for their son.
Upon being told the engagement will not blossom into a wedding, the woman lodged a formal complaint with the Rajasthan police.
Media reports suggest the police have completed all necessary legal procedures, including taking the woman’s medical examination and court statement.
“A woman, a resident of Sector 2, Kudi Bhagatasani, has levelled allegations against cricketer Shivalik Sharma. The woman had gone for a walk in Vadodara in February 2023, where she met Shivalik. Their friendship gradually turned into a romantic relationship, and they would speak for hours over the phone.
“Both families met in 2023, and the couple got engaged. After their engagement, they engaged in physical relations,” ACP Anand Rajpurohit is quoted as saying.
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