Colombo: Police in Sri Lanka arrested three British women who were found socialising in the hotel rooms of West Indies players, including star batsman Chris Gayle, early today, police and hotel sources said.
Police bodyguards protecting players at the ongoing World Twenty20 arrested the three Britons at the deluxe Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo and handed them over to the nearby police station for further investigations, AFP reports.
Hotel sources said the women were guests of Gayle and his teammates Andre Russell, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith.
The sources insisted there was no breach of security at the tightly-guarded seventh floor reserved for players and team officials.
“There was no wrongdoing on the part of the players or the women and we are surprised at the police action,” a hotel source said. “It is not against the law to be a guest of a player.”
There was no immediate comment from the ICC or the West Indies team which will play Australia in the semi-finals on Friday.
Police sources said they were awaiting instructions from the International Cricket Council, the organizers of the World Twenty20, to establish if they should press charges.
The authorities had declared floors occupied by cricketers as out-of-bounds as part of security for players during the September 18-October 7 tournament that was billed as the same level as for visiting heads of state.
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