Death in Dubai: 4. The right hand man

Summary

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World of Secrets – Death in Dubai, Episode 4: "The Right Hand Man"

BBC World Service | October 6, 2025
Host: Renaco Sal

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Episode Overview

In this gripping installment of "Death in Dubai," journalist Renaco Sal continues her investigation into the mysterious, tragic death of 23-year-old Ugandan Mona Kizz, whose fatal fall from a Dubai tower went viral and made her the subject of global rumors. This episode, titled "The Right Hand Man," focuses on Renaco’s field reporting inside Dubai as she tries to get closer to Abby—the alleged trafficker at the center of Mona’s world—and features a landmark interview with Troy, a former trusted insider in Abby's network. The episode reveals new details about the mechanics of trafficking in Dubai, the layers of exploitation and control, and the difficulty of seeking justice for its victims.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entering Dubai and the “Dubai Look”

• [01:13–04:34] Renaco’s undercover preparation: The episode opens with Renaco in a London salon, having her wig styled to embody the “Dubai look,” a necessity to blend in for her undercover reporting. She expresses anxiety about the perception of Black women in Dubai:
  • “I've been warned by other black women who live in Dubai that I might get looked at in a certain way. Men might just assume women like me are available for a price.” (Renaco, 03:19)
• Concerns about safety: Renaco discusses her fears of being denied entry or having her cover blown and underscores how appearance functions as both a shield and a potential target for suspicion.

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2. Chasing Leads in Dubai

• [04:35–10:24] Reconstructing Mona's last days:
  • Renaco visits the Warsan building where Mona was last seen. There, she tries to retrace Mona’s steps and contacts possible witnesses, but is met with reluctance and fear from sources.
  • The building is described as a transient hub for African migrants:
    • “This apartment building was supposed to represent a new start for Monica... came here and before long she lost her life. It was a dream unfulfilled for Monica and I can imagine for many girls like her.” (Renaco, 08:51)
• Mapping Mona's movements: Social media tagging puts Mona repeatedly at a glamorous Palm-shaped Dubai resort, a known venue for sex work.

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3. The Reality Inside Dubai's Nightlife

• [10:25–13:03] Observing negotiations: Renaco witnesses open solicitation in bars and notes the normalization of such activities, corroborated by candid admissions from staff:
  • “When I ask a waiter what's going on, he laughs and says, 'What you think is happening? That's exactly what it is.'” (Renaco, 09:55)
• Encounters in clubs: Renaco faces aggressive and inappropriate advances, highlighting the exploitative environment:
  • “Unwanted touching, requests for kisses from strangers. It all just makes me wonder. How did Monica feel being here?” (Renaco, 10:54)

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4. Firsthand Testimony: “Hope”

• [13:04–18:01] Interview with "Hope":
  • Hope, a sex worker who once worked for Abby, details how she was lured to Dubai under false pretenses of a supermarket job but was forced into sex work within days.
  • “They collected my passport from me... like maybe two days I was put out on the street.” (Hope, 13:49)
  • Abby, she says, operates as a “mafia boss,” dealing in drugs and using spiritual control to terrify women into compliance.
  • “He acts like he's your landlord, but in the actual sense, he is your boss. He's so greedy for money... deals in many, many shit things.” (Hope, 14:37)
• Hope warns other women not to be taken in by glamorous images on social media, stressing the hidden dangers:
  • “These videos you see on TikTok, pictures you see on Instagram, they are not real. There is that dark side. People don't know.” (Hope, 17:16)

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5. The Whistleblower Insider: Troy

• [22:46–29:05] Landmark interview with Troy:
  • Troy, former driver and operations manager for Abby, reveals the sophisticated structure of Abby’s trafficking operation, including recruitment via social media and collaboration with contacts in Uganda.
  • “He would use TikTok to see the type of girls he would want to work with in Dubai... Sometimes he communicates with white men and asks them what type of girls they want.” (Troy, 26:04)
• The process:
  • Girls are lured with false promises, then rapidly ensnared—passports taken, debts racked up, subjected to psychological and sometimes spiritual control.
  • “For the first days, he takes them to different malls, to buy them clothings... brainwash them before he sticks them to the business.” (Troy, 28:08)
• Why victims can’t escape:
  • Overstays, lack of money, and psychological stress lock women in:
    • “You can’t go home. You are hunted by the police because you are an overstay... He becomes the dad to them. Their only option is to be with Abby.” (Troy, 29:05)

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6. Clientele, Exploitation, and Brutality

• [31:22–32:40] Clients and abuse:
  • Troy says Abby’s clients include “musicians, footballers, presidents” seeking “fantasy” and slave-like sex acts.
  • “I've heard about the types of sex that I've never seen in my life... where a girl is put on ropes, she's put in the cage within the client's room. She's served like a dog.” (Troy, 31:26)
• Efforts to intervene: Troy admits to secretly helping some women escape Abby and left the organization after being discovered.

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7. The Deaths of Kayla and Monica

• [34:01–37:27] Uncovering cover-ups:
  • Troy was involved when another Ugandan woman, Kayla, died in similar circumstances to Mona—falling from a high-rise. He describes a swift police closure labeling it suicide, with no real investigation:
    • “It took just like four minutes. The police was around and the investigation started... no one in the police department has ever come to me to ask to give a report about that.” (Troy, 35:11)
• Discrepancies & unanswered questions: The official narrative (suicide, drugs) contradicts autopsy evidence and witness testimony.
• Abby’s protection from justice, Troy says, is enabled by bribery, influence, and perhaps connections abroad.

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8. Abby’s UK Connections & Next Steps

• [38:04–38:56] International links:
  • Both Troy and Hope note Abby’s regular trips to the UK and possession of UK credentials, raising the question of possible British jurisdiction and accountability.
  • “Whenever he's flying out for vacations, he goes to the UK. I've seen his UK driving license...” (Troy, 38:12)
• [38:56–39:56] Abby's new base & the hunt for justice:
  • Abby is now based in private villas in Dubai’s Jumeirah Village Circle to avoid scrutiny.
  • The team launches undercover surveillance to identify his whereabouts.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the mechanism of trafficking:
  • “I would refer it to human trafficking because you are selling humans for money. That's why I refer to it as human trafficking.” (Troy, 24:47)
• “Their only option is to be with Abby... They look to him for food, for shelter, for transport. They have no escape route.” (Troy, 29:05)
• “These videos you see on TikTok...are not real. There is that dark side. People don't know.” (Hope, 17:16)
• “He acts like he's your landlord, but in the actual sense, he is your boss. I call him a mafia boss because he deals in many, many shit things.” (Hope, 14:37)
• “He becomes the dad to them. Their only option is to be with Abby. And that's how he runs his business. That's how he controls it. They look to him for food, for shelter, for transport. They have no escape route. They don't have money. He collects every single penny that they work.” (Troy, 29:05)

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Timeline and Key Segments

• 01:13–04:34 Renaco’s “Dubai Look,” anxieties about perception and entry
• 04:35–10:24 Retreading Mona’s steps, Warsan apartment, on-the-ground investigation
• 10:25–13:03 Nightlife observations, open solicitation, normalization of sex work
• 13:04–18:01 “Hope’s” testimony: lured, exploited, warnings for others
• 22:46–34:01 Interview with Troy: inside Abby’s network, trafficking details, victim control
• 34:01–37:27 Deaths of Kayla and Monica, police cover-ups, the need for justice
• 38:04–39:56 Abby’s UK connections, surveillance begins, the hunt for justice

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Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is intensely investigative and somber, marked by moments of fear, moral reflection, and a raw sense of urgency. Testimonies are wrenching and direct, punctuated by Renaco’s quiet determination and respect for her sources’ vulnerability. The language of both victims and insiders is unfiltered, often harsh and matter-of-fact, drawing listeners deeply into the underworld of Dubai’s trafficking scene.

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End of episode summary.

Transcript

[Renaco Sal]

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[Troy]

You don't look like.

[Renaco Sal]

Please see, I'll take that as a compliment. See it differently when you stream the best of British TV with BritBox. Watch with a free trial today. Saks Off 5th is your secret to fashion's most wanted Deals at up to 70% off on the hunt for designer steals that'll turn heads and leave a trail of envy. Uncover Gucci, Valentino, Versace, Stuart Weitzman and more. With new arrivals dropping weekly at prices too good to stay confidential, Luxe layers, statement boots and tailored essentials from Saks off 5th will put your wardrobe on the most wanted list. Head to saksofffith.com or Saks off 5th store near you for a style lineup you won't want to miss. A heads up before we start that this episode includes discussion of sex and abuse. This is the look everyone goes for Dubai. You need a great hairstyle that goes in every single outfit. So we're doing a side part. We call it a side part. Bust down. Yeah, baby has. I'm in a salon in East London having a wig installed, getting the Dubai look, as it's called on Tik Tok. I'm nearly ready to go there to find out more about what happened to Monica and her boss Abby. Going to add some curls as well. Add some body to it. Have you prepped for the buy? Love it. To be able to record at the clubs, in bars Monica was sent to. I'm going to go in posing as an influencer, so I'm kind of nervous, to be honest. I think you'll be fine. I mean, you are getting the look. Lots of shopee's clients go there, so she knows exactly what I'm after. When it comes to Dubai, it's about how you look. Pretty privileged, you know? Yeah, pretty privilege is a real thing. When you want to go to a club, they ask you send pictures of your girls, you and your girls. But it's not just about being pretty. There's another layer to this. I've been warned by other black women who live in Dubai that I might get looked at in a certain way. Men might just assume Women like me are available for a price. And as a journalist, I'm worried about whether I'll even get into the country. I'm hoping the right look will help me blend in. Oh, yeah. I think hair is important. Yeah. I guess for this that the stakes are even higher because if I look like I don't fit in there, potentially, people are gonna start asking questions, you know, like, what are you actually doing here? Why have you come? And that's the last thing that we need. This is World of Secrets Season 9 Death in Dubai. From the BBC World Service, I'm Renaco Sal. Episode 4 the Right Hand Man I'm on the final leg of my journey into Dubai, having just stopped in Qatar. I have minimal kit with me so that I don't look suspicious, but still, I. I'm nervous and I don't know if I'll even be let into the country. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dubai, where the local time now is 3:07am for your safety, please remain seated. Just landed in Dubai. Thank you so much. Thank you. I clear immigration, but I'm still a bit on edge. When I get to my hotel room, I check for hidden cameras. I can't see any signs of them, so I relax a bit and listen back to a voice message Monica's friend Kira has sent me.

[Hope]

If you want to find out how.

[Renaco Sal]

Mona lost her life, you have to go where Abby used to take Mona.

[Hope]

You have to be careful.

[Renaco Sal]

Abby has eyes everywhere in Dubai. When you reach Dubai, you have to make sure you act like a tourist. You have to be like Mona. Mona, before she died, she was staying in Warson Building.

[Hope]

Go to Warsan Building.

[Renaco Sal]

You may find some information. Remember what Monica's other friend Mia told me that the landlord at that Warsan apartment heard Monica fighting with someone on the balcony the night she died. Mia doesn't recall his name and has no idea where he is. But I've got a few numbers of people that I'm hoping might know. Some just hang up on me. But I do get through to this man who knew Monica when she was in Dubai. What I'm trying to establish. Okay, yes, she moved to this building. And, you know, I heard this and I heard that, but I'm trying to understand who was there on the day when she passed away. He doesn't know the answer to that question. He's now back in Uganda and doesn't have a contact for the landlord. I try others, but I can't push too hard because I'm worried if I do, it'll get back to Avi that I'm here. This is the most nerve wracking process, basically being handed from one person to another trusted person to another trusted person. But, you know, there's only so far trust can go. I've been told a lot of African migrants live in the Warsand building. So I decide to just go there to see if I can get any leads without raising suspicion. I approach a guy who seems to be in pajamas and looks like he's just come out of an apartment in the building. Hi, how are you? I don't know if you can help me. Do you know anyone who lives in Warsang? I'm looking for on the 23rd floor. There was a Nigerian landlord who used to run an apartment there like, like 20, 22. No, it's been a while. He says, even though it was only three years ago. It's a transient place. People don't seem to stay for long. But I do manage to get inside the building. One of the flats is on the market, so we book a viewing for it. It's just a few floors down from the apartment Monica was living in and on the same side. I'm inside the building. When Monica passed away, it was in an apartment just like this one that she was living. And it was at a balcony like the one I was thinking. The rails on the balcony are just above waist height. It'd be hard to fall or trip being here. Having seen it online for such a long time and knowing you're happy to her, I can't quite. Can't quite explain how it feels. I mean, sad, emotional, to be honest. I mean, this apartment building was supposed to represent a new start for Monica. She moved here having left the control and grip, or so she thought of the man who brought her to Dubai came here and before long she lost her life. And, you know, it was a dream unfulfilled for Monica and I can imagine for many girls like her. In my hotel room the next morning, I go through Monica's social media, mapping out the locations she tagged herself in. In her posts, she's in one place again and again. It's a glamorous resort hotel on one of Dubai's artificial islands. It's shaped like a palm tree that juts out into the Persian Gulf. Rooms here cost hundreds of dollars a night, and with multiple bars and nightclubs on site, it's well known as the place people come to party. I walk through an archway of bright pink flowers into another part of the hotel complex. An outdoor bar I've seen in Monica's photos. A waiter shows me to a table overlooking the beach and it's not long before I see a negotiation taking place. They exchanged some words and the only sentence I could make out was her telling him that she normally takes men back to her house for her own safety. And then they walked out together and left. And there are so many other women just like her, sitting, standing around. From what I can tell, these women have come from all around the world. The sex workers in the. In the uae. But no one here seems to bat an eyelid. None of the staff seem surprised. When I ask a waiter what's going on, he laughs and says, what you think is happening? That's exactly what it is. My next step is to go to clubs, see if I can find people who might have known Monica.

[Troy]

We got big chime in today.

[Renaco Sal]

Special birthday.

[Troy]

We're doing it.

[Renaco Sal]

Music is blaring. Men in loud shirts and shiny shoes seated at tables, checking out women as they walk past. It's not long before a man approaches me and asks for a kiss. When I look shocked, he replies, you should know. Later, another guy taps me on the inner thigh twice. Unwanted touching, requests for kisses from strangers. It all just makes me wonder. How did Monica feel being here? What must she have experienced? Every few minutes, a guy orders a bottle to his table. A group of dancers parade around him holding bottles with fizzing fireworks in the air. I head into the ladies toilets. They're super glam, very Instagrammable. Monica had lots of pictures taken in them. Got these white ceilings and marble everywhere. It's really distinctive. It's really weird being here. Literally, their stomping ground. I feel like I'm walking in one of the footsteps. I'm chatting to girls who I've spotted outside, looking for clients in the hope I might find someone who knew Monica. I'm wary with how much I say. I can't risk anything getting back to Abby. After several nights of doing this, I'm told that a girl who might know Monica will be out tonight. We're put in touch and arrange to meet. It's so loud in the club. We talk in the ladies toilets. I go in gently. I ask how her night is going. I want to check that she's comfortable talking about what she's doing here.

[Hope]

You understand the game. Guys give money here. They flash money. White girls get more money than black ones. That's Dubai.

[Renaco Sal]

Then I ask if we can talk about Monica and give her a few details.

[Hope]

I know her. It's so sensitive. We can't Talk about it.

[Renaco Sal]

Not here. She says the attendant keeps giving us suspicious looks and I don't want to get this girl in trouble. So we make a plan to meet up properly in a few days time. Mona died in 2022. You're the first person that I've met who's still in Dubai. Do you think he's still operating today?

[Hope]

He's still operating today, yeah.

[Renaco Sal]

I'm going to call her Hope. These are her exact words, spoken by an actor. And one piece of information Hope gives me is a game changer. She says Abby travels a lot.

[Hope]

He doesn't stay in Dubai all the time. He goes to London. I hear he has a London passport.

[Renaco Sal]

If he has ties to London, where I'm based, it could help me gather evidence on his operation and might make it easier to hold him to account. Hope wasn't brought to Dubai by Bash to work for Abby, but one part of her story is the same as Monica's. The job she says she was promised.

[Hope]

It was working in the supermarket. I said, okay. I was very happy, you know, that excitement. When I reached. They collected my passport from me, like maybe two days I was put out on the street.

[Renaco Sal]

Two days?

[Hope]

Yeah, like two days they took me on the street where I had to sell myself.

[Renaco Sal]

When she saw a chance to escape the gang that brought her, she seized it. Someone told her about Abby. They said he could sort out accommodation for her. She thought she'd found herself a better situation, a place to stay and she wouldn't have to work for the gang anymore. She thought all her problems were over. But the reality, she says, was more complicated.

[Hope]

He acts like he's your landlord, but in the actual sense, he is your boss. He's so greedy for money, it's like as if he has not seen money. I call him a mafia boss because he deals in many, many shit things. He deals in drugs, his environment, drugs, his place. People of all sort of weird behaviors can be there. So because of influence, girls get into drugs, you know?

[Renaco Sal]

Hope tells me something new about the way she says Abby controls girls.

[Hope]

There are things he does to people spiritually, you know, you cannot tell me out of the blue. Someone can just say, okay, let me just kill myself. Girls die through sacrifices. Some of them, it's stress, you know.

[Renaco Sal]

Spiritual control, sacrifices, Obia juju. I've heard this before.

[Hope]

Some people, they don't believe in those sacrifices, but he does.

[Renaco Sal]

Hope managed to get away from Abby's place. I can't say too much about how she did that because it could identify.

[Hope]

Her when that interview will come out, he will say, which bitch is this? Which fucking bitch went to those people in the news?

[Renaco Sal]

Hope is now working for herself and at least gets to keep what she earns.

[Hope]

I was brought here when I was still young. Just imagine if it was you. Your family knows you are abroad working. You have have to at least come home with something. You know, I would like to leave and I'm planning to leave, but I sat down and I set my goals so that I can at least say, okay, I was into this shit, but at least I managed out of that bad thing. I managed to achieve this. I think my future will be something different from what I am now, like the future I want to give my babies.

[Renaco Sal]

She started investing and has a plan away from all of this. But she's speaking to me now because she wants to warn other young girls.

[Hope]

These videos you see on TikTok, pictures you see on Instagram, they are not real. There is that dark side. People don't know. If someone tells you, I have a job for you, I want to take you abroad to be on the safer side, don't, because you end up falling from the pan to the real fire and it's really, really dark. There are weird things. Very weird.

[Renaco Sal]

There's someone who will know more about these weird things. Hope's talking about someone inside Abby's network, someone who is now saying he'll talk. I'm in my hotel room in Dubai texting a source who will be the first person I'm able to speak to who worked in this operation underneath Abby. But I'm nervous because he's not responding to my texts. And since morning I've been trying to negotiate to get him to come and speak with me. I just don't know if he's going to show up. He's been sending me these messages, disappearing messages on WhatsApp, almost as if he's having second thoughts. He's actually told me just how dangerous the network is and that he's not going up again against one person, but many. And I don't know if that's going to be enough to sway him to block me and just not come. Which sucks, because the information that he will have, it's really going to change everything. In the morning, the first thing I do is grab my phone and there's a message from him. He's actually confirmed that he's happy to meet me and he's coming to this side of Dubai where I'll pick him up. But it's dangerous for us and Potentially for him as well, if we're seen together. So we've hatched a little strategy heading down to the basement of this building to see if we can drive him in to the building, the basement. Hopefully avoiding the security at the main desk in Dubai. There are cameras and eyes everywhere, which makes it even more difficult.

[Hope]

Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the.

[Troy]

Founder of Meaningful Beauty.

[Hope]

Well, I don't know about you, but.

[Renaco Sal]

Like, I never liked being told, oh, wow, you look so good for your age.

[Hope]

Like, why even bother saying that?

[Renaco Sal]

Why don't you just say you look great at any age, every age. That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about.

[Troy]

We create products that make you feel.

[Renaco Sal]

Confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty, beautiful skin at every age. Learn [e-mail].

[Troy]

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[Renaco Sal]

Came in a $45 for 3 month plan.

[Hope]

$15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer, first 3 months only.

[Renaco Sal]

Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com on a scorching Dubai morning, I'm watching out for people watching us. I'm in the car with my team and we've picked up this guy who says he was in Abby's inner circle. We're driving in an underground car park looking for a space away from the security guards. Is there, is there any parking spot that's nearest the door? Because there's a lot of workers behind Us go here and then we're right up to the door. We find a spot in the dark, hot basement and head up a back staircase to a private room, hopefully without being seen. Am I right to put this microphone on you?

[Troy]

I think we're good. Shall I go, everyone? Yeah.

[Renaco Sal]

Yesterday this man said he wanted to do this interview anonymously for his own safety. But now he's saying we can use his first name, Troy, and his real voice. We go through the risks again and he's certain.

[Troy]

Yeah, because I guess many would wish to know where this information comes from because it is the right information and I'm speaking it from the bottom of my heart. So, like, why would I hide the truth? The truth comes from visible sources.

[Renaco Sal]

He's a Ugandan guy in his late 20s, but with a calmness about him that suggests someone older. He's in a cream polo neck and a black beanie with a sparkling stud in one ear. But the most noticeable thing is his tattoo in the middle of his forehead, the outline of an anchor. He came to Dubai in 2017 and says he started working for ABY two years later.

[Troy]

I met him because I had gone to a nightclub. So he asked me, could you join me? I could sustain you a living. I could take care of your accommodation. I could pay you weekly or daily. You could be my home driver. You'll see my business when we get home. So I agreed to work with him.

[Renaco Sal]

He was out of work at the time and his visa had run out, so he was in overstay.

[Troy]

So he attracted me by being kind at first, before I even got to know how the business runs. Upon reaching his home, I found a new type of animals, and those were human beings who would be taken out for grazing in clubs and work for him. And these were young girls.

[Renaco Sal]

What is the exact business that Abu is running?

[Troy]

I never went so far with books, but is it human trafficking? I would refer it to human trafficking because you are selling humans for money. That's why I refer to it as human trafficking. Yeah.

[Renaco Sal]

What was your exact role in Abe's operation?

[Troy]

I started as a driver who could drive girls to different places, nightclubs. Later on, I was the operation manager because I could take care of the business. When he's outside the nightclubs, I would face the challenges. If the police came around after massive fightings, I would be the person to talk to these girls to convince them to stay in the business.

[Renaco Sal]

According to Troy, he was in a position to know far more about Abi's business than anyone I've spoken To so far. And he supports a lot of what Kira, Mia and Hope have told me about how Abby uses short term tourist visas and how he racks up their debts. But I want to know more about how Abiy scouts girls and what he tells them.

[Troy]

He's like a computer. He doesn't rest. He's always online, trying to see where money is. He would use TikTok to see the type of girls he would want to work with in Dubai. Sometimes he communicates with white men and asks them what type of girls they want and he'll be able to find what his clients want. He loves dark skinned girls, young girls that are wanted by rich men. He has boys on ground back in Uganda. He could be paying. And some of these are from his family, cousins, friends. He would describe the type of girl he wants them to look for. They start getting the girl ready. He processes the passport, he applies for the visa, then the visa is processed within three days.

[Renaco Sal]

Thinking back to our undercover phone call with Bash, the man we've been told brought Monica and some of her friends to Dubai, I realized that Bash's connections, his access to Uganda's official ID register must have played a big part in this process. But from what Troy's just told me, it sounds like Bash wasn't the only person scouting girls to send to Abby. And he's not the only one convincing girls to travel. According to Troy, Abby sometimes takes a personal hand in that too.

[Troy]

He starts communicating with a girl that you would be coming to Dubai, you would be going to nice places for leisure. Sometimes these girls don't know what they're coming to do. They don't know what's up with the business. He would only tell them the positive side of the side, that you'd be getting money, you'd be driving expensive cars, you'd meet rich men, you'd live a luxury life. So they are convinced in that way.

[Renaco Sal]

Once they get into Dubai, what is the first experience they have with Abe like?

[Troy]

So for the first days, he takes them to different malls to buy them clothings to make them feel comfortable. He takes them around the restaurants to have nice food, to brainwash them before he sticks them to the business.

[Renaco Sal]

What happens to girls who refuse to kind of continue doing what he wants them, what Abe wants them to do?

[Troy]

If you're not willing to work with him, because there are certain girls that used to come and find out the situation is not as it was told. So those who would say that I'm not ready to provide sex, they would keep you inside the Room. Until when you agree that. Okay, let me work.

[Renaco Sal]

The question some people seem to have when they hear accounts like this is why don't the victims just leave, just get away, go to the police. And Troy, who says he has known lots of women in this situation, makes.

[Troy]

It crystal clear these girls are traumatized. You can't go home. You know that. You are hunted by the police because you are an overstay. You end up drinking every day, using any type of drug that comes along your way in order to survive. Yeah. So Abe has girls that have even been Dubai for six years in overstay. And they are staying with him because he's the only option. He becomes the dad to them. Their own option is to be with Abi. And that's how he runs his business. That's how he controls it. They look to him for food, for shelter, for transport. They have no escape route. They don't have money. He collects every single penny that they work.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy says he didn't see much of that money, but he was working for Abby for over a year. And I'm thinking, why did he stay? How did he live with himself? But I'm walking a bit of a tightrope. He's my best chance of getting closer to Abby, so I need to keep him on side. Troy says he knows the type of man Abby is.

[Troy]

So Abbey loves reading history. He reads about the famous ancient men who used to gamble the world. He loves reading about the media, different countries. So he would sit for an hour and read about Dubai, how their police operates, how the nightclubs operate. Most of these nightclubs deploy African men for security. So he pays them off to give him information inside the club. When is the manager off which days? These clubs have good parties with white men. He just uses his money to pay off to different nightclub securities to allow his girls get in for work. His girls have to look expensive. You have to put on expensive wigs to attract these expensive men. You have to use expensive perfumes to attract these expensive men. So Abi provides search for these girls. A white man will not know that he is meeting a girl from the ghetto because the girl is preserved to look expensive.

[Renaco Sal]

What type of clients do these girls end up seeing?

[Troy]

They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents. Because the place Abe takes them to are places are fantasy places in Dubai, Dubai, Marina, those expensive clubs, these are rich men that come from different countries of the world. They enter Dubai, then they look for girls that could fulfill what they need, sex desires. And I've heard about the types of Sex that I've never seen in my life, that they have the slavery type of sex where a girl is put on ropes and she's put in the cage within the client's room. She's served like a dog. He makes sure that the rich men are happy. So it doesn't matter what you go through, as long as his rich men are happy.

[Renaco Sal]

Do you think these clients know or even care how these girls ended up in Dubai?

[Troy]

Some clients don't need to know. After having their fantasy.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy admits to being deeply involved in this abusive operation. The nightmare Monica was caught up in. And did you ever try and stop Abby?

[Troy]

In the past, trying to stop him came up as a way of telling these girls to escape him. That is the best way I tried to stop him while still working for him.

[Renaco Sal]

Some of the girls did tell me that Troy had helped a few of them escape from Abby. Troy says when Abby found this out, that's when he left.

[Troy]

We got a misunderstanding after him getting to know that I'm helping these girls to find life elsewhere. So once he. He knew about that, he was like, you are spoiling my business.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy says despite this, they're still in contact. Apparently, Abby's fond of the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Because of this, Troy can still help us get close to Abby. But it has me thinking, is he doing this to try to make up for his past, put right his wrongs?

[Troy]

I'm trying to put up justice for these girls, justice for those who are dead. Because with justice, you have to be having a body that can talk. Those who are still alive because they are the only that could tell the truth.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy isn't just talking about Monica here. He didn't know her. He'd returned to Uganda by then. But he was working for Abby when Kayla died. That's the aspiring model whose brothers I met at their phone shop in Kampala. Another family who were told their loved one killed herself. Who are now left desperately trying to work out what happened. I want to know what Troy has heard about her death.

[Troy]

Kayla was one of Abe's girls. And that night incident happened on one of Abe's apartment. She jumped off from the 13th floor and lost her life.

[Renaco Sal]

How did Abe react when he heard that she was dead?

[Troy]

Abe called me because that time he was driving along different girls for money. So Abi called me and told me, have you heard about the incident? I told him, yeah, I heard about it. Please, can you go and see how you can handle this with the police? So I was the second person to reach the scene. So I called the police.

[Renaco Sal]

It wasn't hard, he says, to handle the situation, make the case disappear.

[Troy]

It took just like four minutes. The police was around and the investigation started. I told the police that I'm a Ugandan and she's a Ugandan, and she has been sleeping in one of the apartments that I know.

[Renaco Sal]

It was handled by the same department that would deal with Monica's death less than a year later, the Al Basha police station.

[Troy]

Once the police investigation came out, it showed that it was a suicide. The police found me on the scene, and no one in the police department has ever come to me to ask to give a report about that.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy's version of events of the night Kayla died is that she was with an Emirati client. He says he heard that this man had given Kayla a vape containing some kind of drug.

[Troy]

They were drinking, but Kayla was taking a vape, and that vape came with that local guy. And after Kayla went outside the balcony, since then, that was it.

[Renaco Sal]

Was the client with her on the balcony?

[Troy]

No. Kayla went alone at the balcony, and then she went down.

[Renaco Sal]

Someone who was there, who I can't identify, told me something different. That this client was on the balcony when Kayla died and that there had been an argument about money. And remember the autopsy the brothers showed me? It said there were no drugs or even alcohol in her body. What everyone does agree on, though, is that Abby knew who this client was and that it was never investigated by the police.

[Troy]

Yeah, Abby knew who the client was because you cannot take a client at his place. And he's not knowing the client was an Arab. And the girl told Abi that this is my old client that has been working with me. Yeah, I'm worried maybe after this interview, I have to exit their country because I don't think. Because I don't trust anyone, you understand?

[Renaco Sal]

Troy says he does want justice for Kayla and Monica. Their deaths need to be investigated.

[Troy]

I think the police would have gone under further investigations, not just conclude the file as a suicide, because this is an African soul and spirit. Then what do I call justice?

[Renaco Sal]

And he also wants Abby to stop exploiting women.

[Troy]

I want him to stop in any way. But the only thing that could stop Abby, it could be prison. Because if he's just exposed, he would do this elsewhere. So it's only one thing that could stop him, and that is prison.

[Renaco Sal]

Troy repeats something Hope also told me that made my ears prick up about Abby's UK connections.

[Troy]

Whenever he's flying out for vacations, he goes to the uk. I've seen his UK driving license, so I had the thinking that if you have a UK driving license, you can have citizenship. If he has the UK citizenship, wouldn't the UK investigate what this guy is doing all over in Dubai all along?

[Renaco Sal]

Where is Abe based now?

[Troy]

Abe is based in jvc. He's based in villas because he was more troubled with apartments because many apartments never wanted to work with him anymore. So I adopted two villas because villas are private and you can do everything.

[Renaco Sal]

JVC Jumeirah Village Circle, a smart neighbourhood of residential villas near the Dubai Marina. We're getting closer. Troy's given me a rough location and I followed clues in the social media accounts of the guys who still work for Abby, trying to narrow it down. Hello.

[Troy]

Hi, Rebecca.

[Renaco Sal]

I thought I'd just give you a bit of a brief about Abby and his network. My colleague Mark has brought in some ex military contacts who now work for a charitable organization. They specialize in undercover surveillance.

[Troy]

Number 10, Brandor.

[Renaco Sal]

They're going to stake out the address to check if Abby is actually there so we can approach him.

[Troy]

The team understands the importance. They know the background of the targets and the seriousness of the investigation. So the anticipation is high and the guys are ready to do the job.

[Renaco Sal]

We're watching the back and we're ready to record. We will update anything significant and after a few hours, a sight. So that's the blue Chinese model SUV with two girls, at least two girls in the vehicle. That's next time on World of Secrets. Later in the series, we will try to find Abby to see what he has to say about these allegations. This has been episode 4 of 6 of Death in Dubai, season 9 of World of Secrets. Thank you for listening. Please leave us a review. It really helps us to get the word out. World of Secrets Death in Dubai is produced by Ruth Evans, Lee Chung Bondo and me, Renaco Salina. The sound design and mix is by Andy Fell. The editor is Rebecca Henschke. Voiceover by PNB it was a BBCI investigation produced in association with Thread Studios.