Man arrested for threatening to molest Indian cricketer Virat Kohli's kid

Investigators from the Mumbai Police's Cyber Cell arrested a software engineer after his tweet went viral.

By AFP

Published: Wed 10 Nov 2021, 8:31 PM

Last updated: Thu 11 Nov 2021, 7:27 AM

Indian police arrested a software engineer from Hyderabad on Wednesday for allegedly threatening to rape the infant daughter of cricketer Virat Kohli following India’s defeat to arch-rival Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Indian cricketers have faced a barrage of online hate and threats after crashing out of the Twenty20 international tournament.

Police said investigators from the Mumbai Police's Cyber Cell arrested Akubathini Ramnagesh after his tweet targeting the cricketer’s 10-month-old daughter went viral.

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The 23-year-old suspect is facing charges of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, defamation and publishing obscene material.

“He has been detained and is being brought to Mumbai,” a police officer told AFP.

Kohli is married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and the couple welcomed their first child in January.

Ramnagesh is alleged to have issued the threats from his Twitter account following India's defeat in the opening game of the tournament on October 24.

The humiliating, 10-wicket loss prompted trolling of the Indian team, including the side’s only Muslim player, Mohammed Shami, who was subjected to a storm of social media abuse.

Several former cricketers and Shami’s teammates, including Kohli, denounced the hateful outpouring against the bowler.