‘I was stalked over phone’

Hyderabad: Kirti Kharbanda is a worried girl. The star, who has acted in movies such as Teen Maar opposite Pawan Kalyan and Mr Nookayya opposite Vishnu Manchu was recently stalked at Bengaluru airport by an airline staffer.

After having thought for days if she should go public or not, Kirti finally spoke to DC: “I am not speaking as an actress. I am speaking as a girl, worried for her safety and privacy and I am speaking for girls who face this hell everyday and everywhere.”

Kirti has been travelling frequently between Hyderabad and  Bengaluru for shoots and rehearsals for her upcoming Telugu projects.

But to her shock, a few weeks ago, a staff member of the airline she was travelling on, used the passenger database to retrieve her number. “I was waiting for my flight when I got a call from an unknown number. When I answered it, the voice on the other end started saying things like ‘You are looking good today’, ‘Why don’t you come and take a picture with me’,” she says.

After identifying the caller, Kirti filed a complaint with the airline and was promised a probe. The actress now lives in fear because the stalker still has her number.
“I can’t believe this has happened and it could happen to any girl. I hope this incident pushes airlines to make their databases more secure.”