IPL player arrested for rape charges: Know everything about it

An Indian cricketer, Shivalik Sharma, is under police judicial custody for charges of rape. The batter was a part of the Mumbai Indians setup in the 2024 IPL season. Sharma represented Baroda domestically and shared the same dressing room with Hardik Pandya. 

Police arrested the left-handed batter after a complaint was filed at the Kudi Bhagatsani police station in Jodhpur. As per media reports, the 26-year-old cricketer was arrested by Rajasthan police, who took him to the court and then to judicial custody after an investigation. 

Reports further claimed that a woman accused the cricketer of physical relations under the false promise of marriage; Sharma was about to get married to the woman. It is also known that they first met with each other in 2023 in Vadodara, and from then they formed a close bond. Later, both of their families met and agreed to an engagement. Sharma and the woman were well connected with each other over phones. 

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After their formal engagement in August 2023, Sharma returned to Jodhpur and allegedly made physical relations with the woman. Reports indicate that later, in August 2024, when the woman visited Sharma's house, his parents told her that they were not sure about their marriage. Then, the woman informed the police about the incident and lodged a formal complaint. 

 “A woman, a resident of Sector 2, Kudi Bhagatasani, has leveled 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 informed.