Photos via Instagram
On this edition of Behind the Instagram, two Toronto sisters have reportedly been arrested and detained in Lagos, Nigeria after being accused of attempting to extort a Nigerian billionaire while trying to fund their brands.
Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo have been arrested and accused of trying to extort billionaire businessman Femi Otedola after claiming to have evidence of him cheating on his wife. They allegedly operated and used a website called NaijaGistLive, an apparent clone of NaijaGist.com and other social media accounts in an effort to allegedly blackmail several wealthy men, the Toronto Star reports.
NaijaGist.com regularly posts the latest in Nigerian celebrity—or "Nollywood"—gossip. It reported that the sisters operated the knock-off website as a "gossip mill where they manufacture stories" and "went as far as sleeping with big Nigerian politicians and recording their sex tape secretly to extort millions of Naira from them."READ MORE: Quebec Women Charged in Massive Coke Smuggling Bust Documented Whole Trip on InstagramAccording to a court document posted by Politics Nigeria the sisters' various platforms, including the fake site, were allegedly used "for the humiliation and cyber bullying of some 274 persons."
The document also shows that Jyoti Matharoo listed an address in Etobicoke, Ontario and a Toronto-area phone number. Her Instagram account boasts over 40k followers that are tuned into her lavish lifestyle, which includes artsy shots of toes in sand, obligatory bowls of sushi, and fake-deep sunsets.
Global Affairs Canada issued a statement acknowledging that "consular services are being provided to the Canadian citizens who have been detained in Lagos, Nigeria," the National Post reported.
The sisters were arraigned in Yaba Magistrate Court on December 23 and will remain in custody before their case is heard on January 26.
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