The arrest of 27-year-old actress Chrisann Pereira at Sharjah airport for carrying drugs (10 gms) hidden in a trophy on April 1 turned the world upside down for her family back home in Mumbai. They felt helpless as she was locked up in Sharjah Central Jail, and they could communicate with her only after 16 days. However, the recent arrest of Anthony Paul (a baker) and Rajesh Bubhate alias Ravi (a banker) – who have been charged with planting drugs on Chrisann — by Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has brought much-needed relief to her family comprising father (Mark Pereira), mother (Premila Pereira) and older brother (Kevin Pereira).

The family is now eagerly waiting for Chrisann to return home. The actress’s brother, Kevin tells us, “This is the first time in three weeks that there is a smile on our faces. I can’t describe the relief that we are feeling now that the culprits who framed my sister have been caught. We are eagerly waiting for her to return, but we have no idea when that will happen; it could be weeks or even months. We want the Indian authorities to convince their counterparts in Sharjah to release her. We are confident that the Mumbai Crime Branch will catch the entire gang, as it’s unlikely that only two or three people are involved in this illegal operation.”

The past three weeks have been a nightmare for the Pereiras. Kevin says, “We were praying for my sister’s safety because initially we couldn’t establish contact with her. The laws in the UAE are strict. We were anxious about her sentence, wondering whether it would be a harsh punishment or even a death sentence. We didn’t know which jail she was put in. We were desperate and frightened, but we managed to hire a lawyer there in the first week, which cost us a lot of money. We were even willing to mortgage our home to ensure we had enough funds if any fine was imposed.”

Kevin grew suspicious of Anthony Paul immediately after his sister’s arrest and started gathering evidence against him. He says, “Anthony told the city Crime Branch about a fight between my mother and his sister over a stray dog that my mom tried to save from being beaten up by him. It happened about a year ago. We didn’t think of this angle, as we couldn’t imagine someone could be so malicious. However, I believe there is more to this case.”

Narrating what happened, Kevin says, “Ravi (Rajesh Bubhate), who posed as a talent agent, sent a message to my mother regarding an audition in Sharjah for an international series on March 23. She passed on the message to Chrisann and that’s how everything began. He called her for an urgent meeting on the day of her flight and gave her the trophy. After landing in Sharjah, she passed the security check and came out of the airport to realise that no cab or hotel room was booked in her name, and the messages from Ravi had been deleted. She returned inside and called to inform us that she could have been scammed and told us about the trophy. She left it inside the dustbin in the washroom. Since I have worked in the airline industry, I told her to report to the airport authorities suspecting a security threat. She reported to the police and also told them about the trophy. She was then arrested.”

He adds, “Anthony, who has known my mother and sister, pretended to help. On the day of the arrest itself, he claimed that he had obtained details about the drugs that were planted on my sister through a contact in Sharjah. While we are yet to receive information about this from the Sharjah authorities. Besides, trying to stop us from approaching the police, he asked my mother for Rs 80 lakh for my sister’s release. However, we refused to pay as we knew she was innocent. He even dissuaded me from posting about our ordeal on social media, but I went ahead and did it. After reading my post, a family approached me with a similar case. It turned out they knew Anthony. This confirmed my suspicions, and I was certain he was involved.

The family first connected with Chrisann 16 days after her arrest. “She managed to borrow some local currency from her jail inmates to call us. During the conversation, we all cried, and she kept telling us that she was framed. We always knew of her innocence and were trying hard to get support here. Now all we want is for her to return home safely,” he says.