Harare rape case: iTeamWorks assures full co-operation in alleged charges against Indian employee

iTeamWorks, an affiliate company of ITW, whose employee has been arrested on charges of rape in Harare, on Monday said they are trying to ascertain the exact facts of the case, adding that they would provide full co-operation to the concerned authorities.

According to the local police in Harare, two Indian nationals, one of them linked to the in-stadia rights-holder of the ongoing India-Zimbabwe ODI series, have been arrested.

It is reported that the two accused have been identified as Krishna Satyanarayan, who is associated with ITW Sports, and Rajkumar Krishnan, who is a Zambia-based businessman.

Satyanarayan works as a consultant for iTeamWorks.

Issuing a statement, iTeamWorks said, "We are shocked to hear of this development, we are at this stage trying to ascertain the exact facts of the case and the nature of allegations. We will provide our full co-operation to the concerned authorities."

It is reported as per the police that Satyanarayan and Krishnan were staying at Meikles Hotel, where the rape is alleged to have occurred.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur had yesterday quashed reports of an Indian cricketer being held by the police for allegedly raping a woman in Harare, saying the allegations are completely untrue and neither the player nor the match official is found involved in the incident.

"There is no truth in this allegation. There is no Indian cricketer or any match official involved in the incident. They have nothing to do with the incident. I just want to make it clear that the BCCI employees, the players or the match official have nothing to do with the incident," Thakur told the media.

Meanwhile, Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe, R. Masakui, also confirmed that there is no involvement of the Indian cricketer in the Harare incident.

Masakui, however, revealed that two persons have been detained in this regard, adding the Indian embassy in Harare is following up on this case.

"We have seen in the news report that two internationals are involved in the rape on Thursday evening. This is an unfortunate incident. However, this is to clarify that no cricketer is involved in this incident. We are seeking consular access to these two persons, who are detained, and the embassy of India in Harare is following up on this case and we will inform the Government of India of the developments," R. Masakui.

The claims came after India suffered a two-run defeat in their opening T20 match against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.