Bangladesh cricketer Tofael Ahmed Raihan accused of sexual assault; charge sheet filed

A charge sheet has been filed by police against 25-year-old Bangladeshi cricketer Tofael Ahmed Raihan, a Bangladesh ‘A’ player, accusing him of allegedly luring a woman with a promise of marriage and repeatedly sexually assaulting her.

Sub-inspector Md Samiul Islam of Gulshan Police Station confirmed to Cricbuzz on Thursday that the chargesheet was submitted under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

According to the case documents, Tofael first contacted the woman through Facebook in January. Their online conversations gradually became more personal, and the woman told police she continued the relationship only after he promised to marry her.

She alleged that on January 31, Tofael took her to a hotel in Gulshan, introduced her as his wife and then sexually assaulted her. She said similar incidents took place multiple times before he ultimately refused to marry her. She filed her complaint at Gulshan Police Station on August 1.

Investigators said the complaint is supported by the woman’s statement, hotel booking records, medical findings and other evidence gathered during the inquiry. The court is expected to examine the chargesheet at the next hearing on December 30.

On September 24, the High Court granted Tofael six weeks of anticipatory bail and instructed him to surrender to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal once the bail period ended. Police say he did not comply.

During this period, Tofael travelled to Hong Kong to play in a six-a-side cricket tournament as part of the Bangladesh 'A' squad.

The case now moves to the next stage as the court prepares to review the chargesheet.