News

How Matharoo Sisters Allegedly Blackmailed and Extorted Nigerian Billionaires

Published

7 years ago

October 7, 2017

It is believed that in this digital age where notoriety is as lucrative as popularity, Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo, the controversial Indian-Canadian sisters epitomise peculiar fame and privilege.

For almost 10 years, the sisters were avatars of some powerful, fun-loving and wealthy Nigerians.They were spectacles at many top-end events in Lagos and Abuja. Many people see them adorn celebrity magazines and online lifestyle platforms.

Jyoti and Kiran flaunt their obscene lifestyles of cruising in yachts and partying in a city where the majority are struggling to eke out a living. Many Nigerian women were offended that the foreigners are sweeping the social media to show off their newfound wealth, courtesy of Nigerian men. Many people see them as prostitutes, but they had since denied that allegation. They, however, admitted the fact that their wealthy boyfriends have been supporting their lifestyles.

They live life to the hilt in Nigeria, but all that came to a halt on December 14, 2016 when Kiran and Jyoti, while unwinding in their luxury suite at the Eko Signature Hotel, were arrested by six plain clothes police officers. The policemen ferried away the sisters, first to Bar Beach Police Station and later to SARS in Ikeja, Lagos. They were accused of blackmail and extortion using a gossip website, NaijaGistLive allegedly owned by them.

Many prominent citizens, especially billionaire mogul, Femi Otedola had accused the Matharoos, already labelled “The Sextortion Sisters”, of blackmailing him with videos about him cheating on his wife. Sequel to that, the oil mogul and others are seeking revenge. Their case against the sisters had been instituted by Otedola.

Matharoo sisters

Of course, the sisters saw a bit of hell in detention before they were arraigned in court. For several weeks, they were emotionally down until they were huddled out the country through the Canadian Embassy. Although they confessed to their involvement in the plot against Otedola, they later recanted immediately they jetted out of the country after they were granted bail by a Lagos court.

Few months after, the sisters are back on the social media, posting photos of their hair and eyebrow appointments, as well as selfies taken in different areas and taunting only God- knows- people. Each one of them had gained 20,000 Instagram followers after the scandal, and they are getting paid to publish brand-sponsored posts. Between the time they were granted bail and when they jumped bail, the sisters launched a subtle attack on Otedola and some other Nigerians. They told a Canadian tabloid of their plans to release a tell-it-all expose of their travails in Nigeria.

Kiran, who has in the works, a YouTube channel, where she intends to post cooking, fashion and travel videos, said she plans to publish a book about their ordeal in December. While Jyoti is also going to write a book—but hers will be more of an instruction manual-to be entitled “How to Meet a Billionaire”.

Obviously, getting back to Toronto, Canada, the sisters must have heaved a sigh of great relief, believing the long arm of the law in Nigeria cannot stretch as far as Canada to catch them. The duo had refused to return to Nigeria months after their bail expired to continue with their pending extortion case. It is then believed that the sisters’ affront and plans to write books that will expose their hedonistic adventures with their much wealthier, untouchable male consorts, must have provoked the issuance of international arrest warrant to get them back to Nigeria to answer their charges and seal a lid on whatever book plans they have.

Unaware of the warrant alleged to have been engineered from Nigeria, the Toronto Sun quoting an Italian newspaper II Gazzettino, said the younger of the Matharoo sisters, Kiran was unfortunate as she was arrested last weekend in Venice, Italy as she landed at the city’s Marco Polo Airport.While the lady is said to be in the custody of Italian Police as at press time, it is not yet clear whether she will be repatriated to Nigeria, and possibly, her sister, Jyoti join her to see off their case.