From Jen Shah getting busted by the Feds to Vicki Gunvalson‘s ex-boyfriend faking cancer, the Real Housewives universe has seen a lot of crazy things. But a ransom plot involving a child is certainly new territory for the franchise. In tonight’s episode of The Real Housewives of Dubai, star Sara Al Madani recalls the horrifying moment she learned her maid was allegedly involved with men looking to kidnap her seven-year-old son Maktoum.
When Al Madani returned from the cast trip in Bali, she discovered that her maid had been covering up her security cameras for the “past six months” and bringing “multiple men” into her house who had been asking for photos of her and her son. Things only escalated when she read the WhatsApp messages between her former employee and the men she was inviting over.
“There are texts of these men commenting on my son’s pictures, saying, ‘Oh my god, he’s cute. We love his hair. We love his skin.’ And these men were asking her, ‘What time does he come home? Who waits for him? Do they have money?’” Al Madani explains. “I mean, all these questions indicate one thing: kidnap, ransom.”
Al Madani tells former Real Housewives of Dubai star Nina Ali, who makes a cameo in the episode, that she swiftly fired her maid upon the discovery. “But then I go to her room while she’s packing and I start seeing my stuff, my gold necklace, my mom’s earrings,” Al Madani says, while Maktoum notes that the maid had also taken his mom’s underwear.
The spiritual healer then explains why she was open about the situation with her “traumatized” son.
“He finds it hard to sleep at night. He doesn’t like to be alone. He doesn’t even go to the toilet alone,” she says. “However, I had to expose all the details because the police had to ask him, ‘Did any men come into the house? Did any men try to touch you? Did any men talk to you?’ I had no choice but to disclose everything.”
At the time this episode was filmed, Al Madani was dealing with a court case against the maid, who had been arrested and thrown in jail after she filed the charges.
“When I realized it was my son’s life and safety, I went in full beast mode. I was like, no mercy,” Al Madani says. “I am not dropping any charges. Because if I let her go, she will do this to another family.”
The Real Housewives of Dubai airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.