Mumbai-based 27-year-old actor Chrisann Pereira, who has been a part of movies such as Sadak 2 and Batla House, has been lodged in a jail in the UAE for over two weeks now. She was arrested by the Sharjah Police in a drug smuggling case.
On 25 April, in a bizarre twist of events, Mumbai police unearthed a conspiracy hatched by two people who wanted to allegedly trap the actor in a bid to take revenge from her mother.
The police has arrested two people, Anthony Paul, a bakery owner, and Rajesh Bobhate alias Ravi, an assistant general manager in a bank.
The Quint spoke to Chrisann's brother Kevin Pereira, about the events that unfolded that led to the accused's arrest, and needing the intervention of the Union Ministry of External Affairs in a bid to bring Chrisann back home. Kevin also spoke about how Anthony told the CID how a scuffle between him and Kevin's mother over a stray dog in their locality reportedly led to this situation.
'Chrisann Was Offered an Audition in Dubai For a Web Series'
Around 23 days after her arrest, Chrisann's brother told The Quint that it all started with a text their mother, Premila, received.
"On 23 March, our mother received a text from a person (presumably Ravi, who pretended to own a talent management company). That person claimed he had met our mother, who is in the real estate business for 25 years, at a conference," said Kevin.
Kevin claimed that the sender mentioned how he runs a "talent pool team" and recalled Premila mentioning how Chrisann is interested in taking up big projects.
"That man asked Chrisann to meet at a hotel in Mumbai. My mother spoke to Chrisann about this but she was quite cautious and asked our mother to get more details on the proposed project and the meeting," he claimed.
Kevin, who works in the entertainment industry, claimed that the person told Premila that he had no idea about the project because he was just an investor. "I think they eventually got in touch with my sister. They told her they were sending her to Dubai to audition for a web series and asked for her passport details. I did warn Chrisann but she was convinced," claimed Kevin.
The tickets that were sent to Chrisann, however, were for Sharjah and not Dubai. Kevin said that the family didn't think there was anything amiss about the ticket booking at the time though.
'When I Saw the Trophy I Knew Something Was Wrong'
Kevin told The Quint that Chrisann left for Sharjah on 1 April. The same day, their mother Premila too was supposed to travel to Hyderabad with Anthony -- one of the accused -- who she knew.
"Chrisann received a message from Ravi asking her to meet him urgently. They met at a coffee shop near the airport, where he handed her a trophy, saying it had to be delivered to someone," claimed Kevin.
Kevin claimed that Anthony constantly urged Premila to check on Chrisann. "My mom and sister met briefly at the airport. My mother said that Anthony was forcing her to call my sister. Now that we know he’s involved, he probably wanted to ensure she carried the trophy without informing our mother," he said.
On 2 April, Chrisann called their father from the airport.
"She informed our father that she had been scammed. At that point we didn’t know anything about the trophy. Chrisann explained that there was no one to pick her up at the Sharjah airport. She called Hilton (the hotel where they had supposedly booked her stay) and even they said they didn’t have a booking in her name. Our father immediately asked her to book the next flight and come back, which was scheduled to take off around six hours later".Kevin Pereira
Kevin asked Chrisann to send him a photo of the trophy. "The moment I saw the picture I told her they are using you to smuggle something," he said.
Kevin's Last Phone Call With Chrisann Before Her Arrest
Kevin told The Quint that the family then advised a terrified Chrisann to stay at the airport. "The last time I spoke to her, before she got arrested at the airport, was on the 2 April and her phone battery was almost dead. I tried to get as much information as possible about the person who met her and gave her the trophy. We also told her to stay at the airport and approach the police and tell them the truth. I told her to tell them that she is an Indian citizen, has been scammed and needs help. That's when the call got disconnected," said Kevin.
For 17 days after that, the family had no contact with Chrisann.
How Kevin Started Suspecting Anthony
When asked about how he started suspecting Anthony, Kevin claimed that the accused's conversations with their mother seemed odd and suspicious.
"After speaking to Chrisann, I called my mother and told her everything. Then Anthony offered to help by claiming that he knew people in Sharjah who could help get Chrisann out of the situation. He called his so-called contacts and told us Chrisann was arrested and drugs were found on her. He even named the drugs," claimed Kevin.
He further alleged that Anthony told Premila that the family will have to pay Rs 80 lakh to get Chrissan home safely. "I wondered how Anthony knew so much, even what drugs were found on her when none of us had any information about that," he said.
Kevin noted that Anthony even dissuaded them from filing a police complaint and approached him and his dad when Premila refused to pay money and insisted she will prove Chrisann's innocence.
"I started suspecting him when he said we should get new SIM cards because that way no one would be able to find out we were bribing to get Chrisann out. And even though he told me not to post anything on social media, I wrote a message and tagged the Prime Minister, the Union Ministry of External Affairs and the Mumbai police."Kevin Pereira
'Chrisann Isn't The Only Victim'
"After my social media post went viral, more victims started reaching out, stating that similar things happened to them. One victim said they were given a cake which they left at the airport. The other claimed they took the trophy to Sharjah but upon realising at the airport that it was a scam, they retuned home immediately," Kevin alleged.
He claimed that four other people narrated similar cases to him.
"I spoke with a family member of one victim -- Clayton. His wife Falyn said that Clayton has been in Sharjah jail since February. Clayton's wife further alleged that Anthony got in touch with the family and also asked them for Rs 80 lakh for getting Clayton out. That's how I joined the dots", claimed Kevin.
Sources in the Mumbai Police Crime Branch told the Indian Express that Anthony had allegedly tried to frame four others in a similar manner. In all the cases, police claimed, Anthony wanted to take revenge for various reasons — a break-up, jealousy, work-related issues and argument over COVID-19 restrictions.
In Chrisann and Clayton's cases, Anthony and Ravi got them arrested in Sharjah, claimed Kevin.
Kevin even recounted an old incident, which some reports are claiming could have led to Anthony targeting Chrisann. "My mother feeds stray dogs in the colony. One day, Anthony was about to hit one dog when she protested and a heated argument ensued," he said.
Kevin also claimed Anthony told their mother he has a diamond and real estate business and has a bakery.
Police sources claimed to the Indian Express that Anthony's plan was to approach family members of the victims, pretend to have contacts in Sharjah, and then demand money to rescue their wards.
'We Need The External Affairs Ministry to Intervene'
Speaking about the efforts to get Chrisann back, Kevin said, "We spoke to the Indian Embassy in Sharjah and they said that the judiciary is an independent body. We need to hire a lawyer. Our mother even flew to Sharjah but wasn't allowed to meet Chrisann. We need the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene".
He said that the family spoke to Chrisann on Monday, 24 April, and told her that the accused have been arrested. "There was a little hope in her voice and we are praying things get better soon," said Kevin.
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