PERTH: Superstar India cricketer Virat Kohli said on Monday said he was “paranoid about his privacy” after a stranger appeared to have filmed inside his hotel room in Perth.

Kohli, 33, took to social media to slam the actions of the invader, who took video footage of the batsman’s belongings at the Crown Perth as India prepared for the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this month.

“I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favourite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that,” Kohli wrote to his 221 million followers on Instagram.

“But this video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy.”

The hotel said it had launched an investigation and a contractor had been “stood down”.

“If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all??” said Kohli.

“I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment.”

Crown Resorts apologised for the breach and said immediate action had been taken.

“We are aware of an incident involving a contractor and the privacy of a guest at Crown Perth,” a Crown Resorts spokesperson told AFP. “We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.

“We have zero tolerance for this behaviour, and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.

“Crown took immediate steps to rectify the issue, including launching an investigation, standing down the individuals involved,” the spokesperson added.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2022