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Crown Hotels have ‘apologised unconditionally’ to Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli after a cleaning company and their employees allegedly filmed themselves in his hotel room in Perth.
The cleaners’ team has been stepped down and removed by Crown after the breach that a ‘paranoid’ Kohli labeled on Instagram as a disturbing example of ‘fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy’.
Kohli also questioned his safety as he competes in the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Crown Resorts has since issued a fawning statement expressing disappointment at the major security breach.
“The safety and privacy of our guests is our number one priority, and we are incredibly disappointed that this incident has occurred,” said a spokesperson.
“We sincerely apologize to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.
Cleaning companies with video from the hotel room where Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli stayed in Perth
“We have zero tolerance for this behavior and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.
Crown took immediate steps to resolve the issue, including initiating an investigation, evicting the individuals involved and removing them from the Crown account. The original video was also quickly removed from the social media platform.
“We are also working with the Indian cricket team and the International Cricket Council to apologize and will continue to work with them as we proceed with our investigation.”
The shocking incident took place in Kohli’s hotel room for the T20 World Cup, when the Indian team was based in Perth earlier this month for warm-up matches against the WA XI at the WACA. Western Australian reports.
The incident also comes just days after the Indian cricket team complained about food being served to players during the tournament.
The Perth team of cleaners has resigned and removed by Crown after the break-in that a ‘paranoid’ Kohli labeled on Instagram as a disturbing example of ‘fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy’
The shocking video of Kohli’s private hotel room revealed suitcases full of Indian cricket uniforms and other forms of clothing
The video of the hotel room, which has no sound, shows a close-up of Kohli’s personal items lying on a table next to his made bed.
The camera pans the neatly decorated room, showing several pairs of shoes against a wall and a suitcase full of batsman uniforms before zooming in on his toiletries, medicines, and supplements.
The sticky beak peers into the spotless bathroom and then opens the mirrored closet door, but quickly closes it again once he sees that the only things inside are a standard hotel iron and a safe.
At least two to three people can be seen in the room all wearing black shoes, well-pressed gray suits and white formal shirts, similar to those worn by the staff at the Perth Crown hotel, where the Indian team stayed for Sunday night’s showdown against South Africa.
“I understand that fans get really happy and excited when they see their favorite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that,” Kohli told his Instagram followers.
“But this video here is terrible and I feel very paranoid about my privacy.
The video zoomed in on Kohli’s bathroom and personal medical supplies as it passed through his room
Kohli’s sheer number of shoes were immaculately lined up against one of the hotel room walls, as shown in the video
“If I can’t have privacy in my own hotel room, where can I really expect personal space?”
“I am NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and do not treat them as commodities for entertainment.’
Kohli’s brother, Vikas, previously identified Crown Perth as the hotel where the incident took place.
“This is really very unprofessional, I assume it’s just the hotel staff, if there are other fans it’s a total disaster for the hotel management,” he wrote.
‘WHERE IS THE GUEST’S SECURITY AND PRIVACY… this is very alarming @crownperth.
Kohli, pictured here with his Bollywood star wife Anushka Sharma, has condemned the ‘terrible’ invasion of his privacy
Australian batsman David Warner also declared the breach.
“This is ridiculous, totally unacceptable,” he wrote. ‘Was this @crownperth’
Bollywood megastar Varun Dhawan, one of the highest paid actors in the Indian film industry, also showed his distaste.
“Horrible behaviour,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, Kohli thanked Crown Perth staff for their “wonderful hospitality and service.”
Australian batsman David Warner also called the apparent split ‘totally unacceptable’
Hotel intrusions aren’t the only thing twitching the feathers of Indian players on the Australian coast.
On Monday, Indian players, reportedly led by team captain Rohit Sharma, boycotted a luncheon.
The food would be cold and not substantial enough after a practice session in Sydney.
‘The food was not to your liking. We can’t eat a sandwich after a practice session,” The Indian Express quoted an Indian player as saying.
The late lunch offered a ‘make your own sandwich’ option along with falafel and fruit.
The Indian squad was reported to have expressed their dissatisfaction to an official from Sydney Cricket Ground.
Kohli’s brother Vikas has accused the Perth Crown hotel, where the Indian players stayed for the weekend, of allowing the ‘total disaster’