Man arrested after threatening to rape India cricket icon Kohli’s nine-month-old daughter
Police in India have arrested a 23-year-old man who allegedly threatened to rape national cricket team captain Virat Kohli's daughter following a heavy defeat to bitter rivals Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, according to reports.
The man is a software engineer based in Hyderabad and was apprehended by Mumbai police, according to The Times of India.
His alleged threats commenced in the aftermath of the 10-wicket loss to bitter rivals Pakistan, which also caused Kohli to speak out and defend the only Muslim player in the team, bowler Mohammed Shami, who was singled out for his underwhelming performance by trolls online.
"Attacking someone over their religion is the most, I would say, pathetic thing that a human being can do," said Kohli, who boasts more than 200 million followers across Instagram and Twitter.
Yet that wasn't enough to appease the angry mob, some of whom turned their rage towards Kohli and the family he shares with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.
Reacting to news of the comments regarding Kohli's daughter Vamika, whose face the star batsman doesn't reveal on Instagram, Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal urged local police to take action, which it seems they have a week later.
"The team has made us proud thousands of times, why this silliness in defeat?" asked Ms Maliwal through a tweet.
"I have issued notice to Delhi Police, arrest all those who threatened [a] nine-month-old girl with rape!"
BREAKINGDCW @SwatiJaiHind sent a notice to the Delhi Police in the case where daughter of @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma was receiving rape threats on Twitter. She said the incident was shameful, demanded the arrest of the accused pic.twitter.com/HyosOL3SDc
— DaaruBaaz Mehta - Ek Mauka AAP Ko !! (@DaaruBaazMehta) November 2, 2021
Finishing their participation in the UAE-held tournament with a win over Namibia, India failed to make it through to the semi-finals contested by England and New Zealand on Wednesday then Pakistan and Australia on Thursday.
Kohli continues to stand by Shami, and said that critics "have no understanding of the fact" that he "has won India a number of matches in the last few years and has been our primary bowler along with Jasprit Bumrah when it comes to making an impact in Test cricket."
"If people can overlook that and his passion for the country, I honestly don't even want to waste one minute of my life to give any attention to those people; neither does Shami or anyone else in the team. The team stands by him and we are backing him 200 percent," he concluded.
