Death in Dubai: 4. The right hand man

World of Secrets

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.7 • 765 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A key insider agrees to talk. He says he worked at the centre of this illegal prostitution ring. Why is he speaking out now? And what can he tell us about the world Monic was caught up in, and the man she was working for? We follow in Monic’s footsteps to the glitzy clubs and bars where we are told she was sent. This episode includes discussion of sex and abuse.

Presented by investigative journalist Runako Celina.

Season 9 of World of Secrets, Death in Dubai, is a BBC Eye investigation, produced in association with Thread Studios, for the BBC World Service.

Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the person depicted in it is a model.

If you feel distressed by the references in this story, please speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support such as Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org

For UK listeners, details of organisations offering information about or support after sexual abuse, or with feelings of despair, are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Here’s a link to the BBC Eye documentary film, which we recommend you watch after listening to this podcast: https://bit.ly/bbcdeathindubai

If you are in the UK, you can watch on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n12t256jg

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.
0:05.0	A heads up before we start that this episode includes discussion of sex and abuse.
0:15.0	This is the look everyone goes for, Dubai.
0:20.0	You need a great hairstyle that goes with every single outfit.
0:23.6	So we're doing a side part.
0:25.6	We call it a side part bus down.
0:27.6	Yeah.
0:28.6	The baby hairs.
0:30.6	I'm in a salon in East London, having a wig installed,
0:34.6	getting the Dubai look, as it's called on TikTok,
0:38.3	I'm nearly ready to go there to find out more about what happened to Monica and her boss Abby.
0:44.3	I'm going to add some curls as well, add some body to it.
0:48.3	Have you prepped for Dubai?
0:50.3	Love it.
0:52.3	To be able to record at the clubs and bars Monica was sent to,
0:56.5	I'm going to go in posing as an influencer.
0:59.4	So I'm kind of nervous, to be honest.
1:01.8	I think you'll be fine.
1:03.6	I mean, you are getting the look.
1:06.0	Lots of Shope's clients go there,
1:08.1	so she knows exactly what I'm after.
1:10.5	When it comes to the buy, it's about how you look.
	...

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