From Mumbai to the UAE: DJ's Fight for Justice Against a Cake and a Conspiracy

The family of a 37-year-old DJ from Mumbai is gearing up to appeal his 25-year prison sentence in the UAE following a drug-related conviction in Sharjah.

An appellate court in Sharjah had rejected in last November the appeal filed by the DJ, who was purportedly framed in a drugs smuggling case by a Borivali-based baker and his associate.

The DJ, also a Borivali resident, was arrested in Sharjah on February 6 and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment after he was found carrying a cake laced with drugs.

Wife's Faith

The DJ’s wife expressed her unwavering faith in the UAE's legal system while speaking from Mumbai to a prominent UAE-based daily. She emphasised her belief that justice will ultimately prevail. Her optimism stems from a Mumbai Police report suggesting that husband was framed by a baker and an accomplice who employed similar tactics on multiple individuals.

Police Investigation

According to Mumbai Police, the baker deceived unsuspecting victims into unknowingly transporting drugs to the UAE, subsequently alerting local authorities about the contraband. In April, the Mumbai police’s Crime Branch had arrested the baker and his associate for framing a famous actress using a similar modus operandi.

The case against the actress was dropped and she was released from the Sharjah jail after the Mumbai police arrested the baker and his associate and provided all the documents to her lawyer to produce in the Sharjah court.

The appellate court has, however, refused to accept the evidence collected by the Crime Branch in the DJ’s case and has dismissed his appeal.

The Cake Laced with Drugs

The Crime Branch investigation revealed that on January 28, the DJ received a call from a person, who told him that he was from a recruiting agency and wanted to offer the DJ a job at their club in Sahara Star, for which he would have to give a demo to his bosses in Dubai.

The DJ met this person the next day at a coffee shop to discuss the offer. After accepting the job, he was to leave Mumbai in the early hours of February 6, a few hours after his nine-year-old daughter’s communion, which was also attended by the Borivali baker. The recruiting agency man called up the DJ after the function and asked to meet him at the gate of ITC Hotel on the way to the airport to pick up a cake to be sent to his bosses.

“The recruiting agency guy had earlier said that he would accompany the DJ but said he had to cancel his trip at the last minute,” says the DJ’s wife.
The DJ left his house at 12.30 am on February 6 and went to pick up the cake from the agency man, who specifically told him to put the cake inside his luggage.

At 2.30 pm, when baker went to the DJ’s house to pick up his wallet which he had purportedly left there, the DJ’s wife received a message from the agency man’s number that her husband had been arrested in Sharjah for being in possession of drugs.

The baker then pretended to make a few calls and told the DJ’s wife that the authorities in Sharjah were demanding ₹80 lakh to release him. “I asked him (the baker) to talk to my brother-in-law but he refused, saying that his name should not be revealed.

Till March 25, he kept calling me on WhatsApp, telling me to arrange for the money for my husband’s release, which had by then fallen to ₹15 lakh. It sounds like a movie plot, but it was an extremely well-planned frame-up. We did not even think of foul play,” she says.

Well-planned Frame-up

The Dj’s wife had known the baker’s girlfriend through work since 2012 and was introduced to him in 2018. “When they broke up, he had called my husband to help patch things up, as he wanted to marry her,” she said. “He even invited us to a farmhouse in Vajreshwari for a weekend to thank us for our help.”

The baker’s girlfriend was earlier married to his cousin and had a son from the marriage. This son, according to the DJ’s wife, would often remark that the DJ reminded him of his father, which had irked the baker. “Throughout the trip to the farm, the baker was furious. He also felt that it was bizarre that the DJ reminded the child of his father.”

This reportedly was the reason the baker sought revenge and framed the DJ, just as he had framed the actress earlier on account of a disagreement with her.

Remaining Hopeful

The DJ’s wife disclosed to the Dubai daily that they have provided her husband’s legal team in the UAE with the confession and call records, which indicate that the tip-off to Sharjah authorities regarding the drugs originated from the baker's number.

Describing the profound impact on their family, she mentioned their daughter and the DJ’s bedridden father, both deeply affected by the situation.
Recounting the events leading to her husband’s arrest, she explained how her husband was enticed into the trap with a job offer as a DJ in a new Mumbai hotel.

She detailed how the accomplice convinced him to travel to the UAE to showcase his skills to potential investors.
Deputy Commissioner Krishnakant Upadhyay highlighted the baker's modus operandi, asserting, "He himself would then alert the police and airport authorities, providing details of the individual and orchestrating their arrest."

The DJ’s wife revealed that they first learned about his arrest through a text message, originating from the same number used to contact him for the job offer and book his tickets.

Despite the challenges, she remains hopeful for justice through the Emirates' judicial system, trusting that her family will ultimately prevail.

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