A special court has declined to grant bail to Mumbai-based baker Anthony Paul, who is accused of orchestrating a scheme that led to actor Chrisann Pereira spending 27 harrowing days in a Sharjah prison. Paul, 35, has been in custody since April, allegedly for concealing drugs within a trophy that Pereira was asked to transport to the UAE. The court cited the prosecution’s claims of four additional victims framed by Paul, including DJ Clayton Rodrigues, who received a 25-year jail sentence in Sharjah for possessing a drug-laced cake. The court’s detailed order, rejecting Paul’s bail plea, was released.
“The statements of the other victims also indicate that the mentality of the applicant was such that he used to frame the victims with whom he had even a small dispute,” noted the court. It emphasized that Paul’s release could impact the victims and stated, “the application for bail cannot be allowed” due to the gravity of the offenses, which involve allegations of cheating and forgery.
The case involves the actor Chrisann Pereira, who was handed a trophy with concealed drugs by an individual identified as Ravi, under the pretext of offering her a role in a web series. Pereira was arrested upon arriving in Sharjah for an audition on April 1. Her subsequent month-long incarceration was eventually revealed to be an act of revenge allegedly carried out by Paul over a minor dispute with her mother. Paul argued in his bail application that no narcotics were found in his possession and that the trophy did not test positive for drugs at either the Mumbai International Airport or Sharjah, as Pereira had raised concerns about its contents herself. The prosecution, led by special public prosecutor Wajeed Shaikh, emphasized the involvement of Paul in framing multiple victims with supporting evidence, including witnesses such as the trophy seller. The case, according to Shaikh, transcends mere drug-related charges, involving issues of personal grudges and retaliation.