Accused’s confession, Chrisann’s actions aided her release: cops
Ahmed Ali (THE TIMES OF INDIA; June 24, 2023)

Mumbai: Sadak 2 actor Chrisann Pereira who was allegedly framed in a drug case in Sharjah and recently released, will have to wait for a few more weeks to return to India. Sharjah officials have informed the Pereira family that her passport has been sent to a committee which will take a call on her return to India.

Pereira’s family, which has been waiting for her return since April when she was cleared by the Sharjah court of all narcotic charges, are upset over the delay in the procedure and her inability to fly back to Mumbai.

“We have been informed by the jail that the passport has been sent to a committee to decide if she can return. This process can take one or two months more. The case has been shut in court, yet we have to wait for this long,” Pereira’s brother Kevin said.

“My sister is losing her mental health as days go by. . . Anyone would. It’s really unfair after being proven innocent, what she and we are going through. We have asked the Indian embassy to intervene and help us,” he added.

A day after Pereira was released on bail from Sharjah jail, she posted a message on Twitter describing the time she spent in jail. She said she washed her hair with a washing powder and made coffee using toilet water.

On Monday, Mumbai police sources had said Sharjah authorities had given back her passport but she was waiting for her name to be removed from the travel blacklist.

The city crime branch had on April 1 arrested baker Paul Anthony and his accomplice, banker Rajesh Bhobhate alias Ravi, and drug peddler Shantisingh Rajput for allegedly orchestrating a fake audition for a web series for Pereira in Sharjah, giving her an air ticket and planting drugs on her for revenge.

During the investigation, police learnt that the accused had similarly planted drugs on four other victims—Clayton Rodrigues, Monisha D’Mello, Rishikesh Pandya and Ken Rodrigues —over some grudge or the other with them or their kin. Police on Tuesday submitted the chargesheet in the case.

Sources said Clayton’s family is seeking a certified copy of the chargesheet which police will translate from Marathi to English and Arabic and annex it to their appeal against his conviction. Sharjah court has sentenced Clayton to 25 years jail.
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Sadak 2 actress Chrisann Pereira’s brother, Kevin Pereira, talks about the delay in her return to India
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 24, 2023)

Soon after actress Chrisann Pereira, who was framed in a drugs case in Sharjah, was cleared of all the charges by a court in April, her family hoped she would return to India within a week. However, there has been a delay in her return.

The actress’s brother, Kevin, tells us, “After she was declared innocent and released by the Sharjah court, we were hoping she would return soon. However, she has now informed us that a committee that has her passport and other documents will decide on her return, which could take about a month or two. There is no clarity on when she will be able to come back home. This is after she has been declared innocent! She is extremely stressed and we are equally disturbed. If anything happens to her, who will take responsibility?”

Kevin is trying to get in touch with the Indian Embassy regarding his sister. He says, “We are reaching out to them to help us expedite the process. We can’t even imagine what Chrisann is feeling right now, she has already gone through a lot.”

THE CASE SO FAR
Sadak 2 actress Chrisann (27), a resident of Borivali, was arrested at Sharjah airport for carrying drugs (10 gms) hidden in a trophy on April 1. It was later found that she was framed by Anthony Paul (a bakery owner) and Rajesh Bobhate alias Ravi (a banker). Bobhate, at the behest of Paul, pretended to be a casting agent and sent Chrisann to Sharjah for an audition. He handed her a trophy to be given to someone in Sharjah and hid drugs in it. She was arrested by the Sharjah police and spent over three weeks behind bars.

After her arrest, Paul and Bobhate allegedly demanded Rs. 80 lakh from her mother to arrange her release. Soon after, the two were arrested by Mumbai Police. On Wednesday, a chargesheet was filed against them and another person who had provided them with drugs.