Two Toronto Sisters, Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo Arrested In Nigeria For Blackmailing Billionaire Femi Otedola
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Tags: Billionaire, Blackmailing, Femi Otedola, Jyoti Matharoo Arrested, Kiran, nigeria, Toronto Sisters
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Two Canadian sisters are detained in Nigeria, reportedly facing accusations of extortion.
Judging from their lifestyle blog and Instagram accounts, Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo have spent the past several years living a glamorous life, posting photos in designer clothes, flying on private jets, staying in London or Paris, sitting court-side at Toronto Raptors games at the Air Canada Centre or at a polo match in Lagos, Nigeria.
But last week, it seems the pair were arrested and detained in Lagos, accused of extortion in connection to a website that allegedly published personal details of notable Nigerians, according to local news outlets that posted photos of what appear to be court documents. In the documents, the sisters apparently listed a home address in Toronto’s Etobicoke neighbourhood. The National Post, however, could not confirm the veracity of any of the reports on Tuesday.
Specifically, Politics Nigeria reported that the Matharoos are accused of attempting to blackmail oil tycoon Femi Otedola, who Forbes listed among the richest billionaires in Africa this year. The 54-year-old Nigerian businessman is chairman of Forte Oil Plc, an importer of fuel products, and the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd. He also owns a number of other businesses involved in shipping, real estate and finance.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed on Tuesday that it was providing consular services “to the Canadian citizens who have been detained in Lagos, Nigeria.” Spokeswoman Kristine Racicot declined to answer any questions about the case, “to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.”
The case is reportedly set to resume next month, though it was not clear on Tuesday whether the two had been released on bail. Salem Moussallam, a Toronto stylist and model who said he is friends with the Matharoos, told Global News that the sisters contacted him.
“They’re saying, ‘We’re all right. We’re fine. We’ll come and see you — back soon. We’re going to be going to Vegas.’”
The two have grown a healthy following cataloguing their exploits: Kiran has 15,000 followers on Instagram; Jyoti, who also appears to go by Taranjot, has 36,000.
