Drugs case: Scammer targeted only well-off Catholics?

The police are still unclear why baker Anthony Paul targeted four people including actress Chrisann Pereira who was caught with drugs in the UAE although victims believe he went after welloff Catholic families While cops initially suspected it to be a case of revenge a victimrsquos statement has prompted them to probe the possibilities of drug trafficking and extortionThe Unit X of Mumbai policersquos crime branch is investigating cases against Paul who allegedly planted drugs on Chrisann and DJ Clayton Rodrigues leading to their arrest in SharjahMonisha Demello the first target of Anthony Paul escaped by leaving at Mumbai airport a package which she had been asked to deliver in Dubai right Rishikesh Pandya whose fatherinlaw worked for Anthony PaulAccording to the cops Paul introduced himself as a wealthy and religious person in the community Some victims even reported that he tried to convert people ldquoWe are not investigating the conversion angle currently but it seems that portraying himself as a religious person helped him gain influence over peoplerdquo said an officerAlso Read Sharjah Jail releases Chrisann PereiraThe officers have also discovered that Paul approached the families of Chrisann and Clayton after they were arrested in Sharjah He demanded R80 lakh from the Pereira family for the release of their daughter from prison They also suspect that Paul was himself passing on information to Sharjah airport officials about drugs concealed in trophies which were given to the duoThe fashion designerMonisha Demelo a fashion designer from Borivli was his first target Her mother received a call from one Prasad Rao on January 7 He was later identified as Paulrsquos associate Rajesh Bobhate alias Ravi who had handed over the trophy with concealed drugs to ChrisannNext day Demelo met Rajesh at The Westin Hotel in Goregaon to discuss an order for his ldquohighprofilerdquo client in DubaiDemelo said she agreed to visit Dubai to meet the clients but insisted on staying with her sister there and Rajesh sent her a ticket for January 13 As it was an early morning flight she asked him to book a hotel room in Sharjah for a day Rajesh told her he would give the return ticket in personRajesh told her that the client likes brownies and Demelo offered to buy some but he refused On January 13 they met outside ITC Maratha in Andheri where he gave her hard copies of her flight ticket back to Mumbai hotel room reservation along with a bag containing a cake some cupcakes and packets of poppy seedsDemelo informed her sister in Dubai who told her that poppy seeds are banned in the UAE She left the bag at a coffee shop in Mumbai airport Meanwhile Rajesh who was checking in on her asked if she had cleared immigration and if the cake was okay Demelo played along and said yes When she landed in Sharjah there was no arrangement for travel and even Rajesh was not responding to her texts She travelled to her sisterrsquos in Dubai and called the hotel in Sharjah which informed her that there was no booking for her She then learnt that the flight ticket was fake tooRajesh called her back later and claimed the cars got mixed up He asked if she still had the cake and wanted someone to collect it Demelo told him that she forgot the cake in the cab she took to DubaiWith the crime branch suspecting Paulrsquos motive to be revenge Demelo believes it could be for cancelling an order for a wedding gown which she had placed with Paulrsquos brother Adrian But she wants the police to investigate other possibilitiesThe businessmanRishikesh Pandya a businessman has a leased property in Manori which he rents out for events and shoots On February 19 Rajesh contacted him on WhatsApp seeking a booking for his client JPC events he told midday They met at Grand Hyatt Santacruz and Rajesh introduced himself as a middlemanRishikesh said Rajesh offered him a deal that sounded too good to be true On March 11 Rajesh messaged him saying a meeting had been arranged with the client in DubaiRishikesh applied for a visa and insurance Before the flight Rajesh arranged a meeting with him His wife Liza Alva Pandya and her father also accompanied him After everyone was convinced Rajesh booked Rishikeshrsquos flight tickets and a room at Hilton Waterfront in DubaiOn March 21 Rajesh gave Rishikesh a printout of his return ticket and a trophy with his name on it saying that he needs to show this to his client Rishikesh refused to travel with the trophy which surprised RajeshldquoWhile I was in the immigration line in Sharjah airport security asked me to step aside They investigated me and searched my luggage I then realised that something was in the trophy and that someone had tipped off the authoritiesrdquo he said ldquoAfter being cleared I left the airport and dialled Rajesh but his phone was switched off I stayed with a friend and returned to Mumbai on March 27 after my wife booked my flightrdquo he addedldquoThe incident had a profound impact on me knowing that someone had attempted to deceive me to the extent that I could have been imprisoned for life This thought weighed heavily on me and it took almost two weeks for me to come to terms with the experience and put it behind merdquoRishikesh concludedJanMonth Paul targeted first victim