Bangladesh 'A' cricketer Tofael charged in sexual assault case

Police have submitted a charge sheet against cricketer Tofael Ahmed Raihan, a pace-bowling all-rounder for the Bangladesh 'A' team, for allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman after luring her with the promise of marriage.

"The charge sheet has been filed under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act," confirmed the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Md Samiul Islam of Gulshan Police Station.

According to the document, the allegations against Tofael were prima facie proven, supported by the complainant's initial account, hotel booking records, medical examination, and other evidence.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 30, when the charge sheet will be placed before the court.

Case papers state that Tofael first contacted the woman on Facebook in January this year, with regular conversations on Messenger that eventually turned into a romantic relationship. The woman initially declined, but later agreed after Tofael assured her he intended to marry her.

As per the complainant, on January 31, Tofael allegedly took the woman to a hotel in Gulshan, introduced her as his wife, and allegedly committed non-consensual sexual acts. He repeated the assurance that he would marry her soon.

The complaint says the cricketer later assaulted her on several more occasions, but refused to marry her when she pressed the issue. The woman then lodged a case at Gulshan Police Station on August 1, reporting repeated incidents of sexual violence.

On September 24, the High Court granted Tofael a six-week anticipatory bail and directed him to surrender to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal before the bail expired. However, he did not comply with the court's instruction.

Tofael, a regular member of Bangladesh 'A', even travelled to Hong Kong to play a six-a-side tournament for the second-string national team after securing anticipatory bail.