"Dubai is actually a hell hole."
Sofia Hayat revealed her hellish experience as she claimed she was detained in Dubai for two months.
The former BBC Waterloo Road star was on a week-long trip when she got into trouble.
Sofia fell out with someone who allegedly borrowed money from her and she threatened to name and shame them on Instagram.
Sofia thought nothing of it until she tried to get on a flight when police seized her passport.
According to Sofia, she was put into a cell for six hours and questioned for another six hours because she had unknowingly broken strict laws around posting defamatory comments on social media.
She was told to stay in Dubai and due to not having her passport, Sofia was forced to rent AirBnbs for two months.
Sofia was finally allowed home without a fine or imprisonment after she was brought before a judge.
She claimed her extended stay cost her £20,000 and lost a further £20,000 of business.
Now in the UK, Sofia said: “Dubai is actually a hell hole.
“I expected a modern country full of glamour, wealth and all the amazing things it appears to be on Instagram and TikTok.
“That’s all a lie. I’ll never go back.
“Being held like that is horrible. I was heartbroken and it was extremely lonely.
“I was constantly cancelling clients because I couldn’t go home and worried all the time that I’d lose them.
“I couldn’t book a long-term place to stay because I had no idea how long I’d have to be there I was having trouble sleeping.
“I had no idea I’d committed a crime until I contacted the public prosecutor.
“I just wanted to go home.”
The British actress travelled to Dubai on December 28, 2023, and was due to be there for one week.
She clashed with a friend who allegedly borrowed money from her. Sofia Hayat threatened to post about it on social media.
Sofia said she tried to go to Saudi Arabia to spend New Year’s Eve with a friend.
But at Dubai International Airport she claimed her passport was taken and she was held by police from 3 am to 3 pm, being questioned by up to five officers.
Sofia said the cell was “freezing, dirty, and small”, adding:
“They just threw me in a cell – they didn’t tell me anything.
“When I asked what was going on, the policeman just told me to ‘shut up’.
“At first, I was having panic attacks. I was shaking and crying as they questioned me.
“They kept saying I’d threatened to expose a sex tape. I threatened to expose a name.”
“In the end, they did let me go, but I wasn’t allowed to leave the country.
“Eventually, I coped by meditating – I just imagined myself in London laughing about being detained in Dubai.”
After two months, she was told by the public prosecutor that threatening to put someone’s name on social media is actually a crime in Dubai.
At a hearing, the judge authorised her release after it was heard money was owed.
However, Sofia Hayat said she was unsure exactly what happened in the hearing because it was all in Arabic.
Sofia was charged £400 at the Dubai airport for overstaying her visa and travelled home on February 26, 2024.
She stated: “I think the only reason I got out is because I have a British passport and I’m an ex-Bollywood actress.”
Loading ...