ENCORE: Gossip Girls | Part 1

Summary

Scamfluencers: ENCORE - Gossip Girls | Part 1

Released on March 3, 2025

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Introduction

In the "ENCORE: Gossip Girls | Part 1" episode of Scamfluencers by Wondery, hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagie revisit a compelling story from their earlier episodes. This installment delves deeper into the lives of Canadian sisters Kiran and Jyoti Mathuru, exploring their ascent into luxury through high-profile relationships and the ensuing controversies that threaten to unravel their glamorous facade.

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Meet the Mathuru Sisters

Kiran and Jyoti Mathuru hail from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Both enrolled in a fashion business program at Humber College, the sisters were inseparable from a young age, sharing a passion for fashion and socializing. Their early years were marked by an affinity for high fashion and nightlife, often seen frequenting upscale clubs and meticulously curating their online presence.

Jyoti Mathuru [07:37]: "This story brings us to Etobicoke."

Their dedication to crafting a sophisticated image set the stage for their later ventures into the world of luxury and influence.

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The Rise in Lagos

The sisters' lives took a dramatic turn when they met Chris, a charming Nigerian businessman, in 2008. His allure and opulent lifestyle introduced them to a network of affluent individuals across the globe. This relationship ushered them into the elite circles of Lagos, Nigeria, where they immersed themselves in a life of luxury, attending exclusive parties and building a significant online following through their blog, Matropolitan.

Kiran Mathuru [13:11]: "I used to call a selfie a close up. So when you take your camera and you take a picture, which I always."

Their blog featured glamorous lifestyles, garnering thousands of followers and attracting lucrative partnership opportunities with various brands. The sisters embraced their roles as socialites, leveraging their connections to maintain their luxurious lifestyles.

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Controversy and the Birth of Naija Just Live

As their influence grew, the Mathuru sisters became targets of Nigerian gossip blogs. Naija Just Live, an unregulated and anonymous platform, began posting explosive allegations about the sisters, accusing them of unethical behaviors and questionable relationships with powerful men. These posts painted the sisters in a negative light, causing significant reputational damage.

Jyoti Mathuru [24:24]: "'They fly to any part of the world. Monaco, London, Paris. Inclusive to pleasure the loins and vanities of their super rich clients.'"

Despite vehemently denying these allegations, labeling them as "disgusting lies," the sisters found themselves ensnared in a web of scandal that attracted both media attention and public scrutiny.

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The Downfall: Arrest by SARS

The situation escalated when in October 2016, Babatunde Oye Body, a web designer and aspiring rapper, was identified as the man behind Naija Just Live. Following this revelation, the sisters were abruptly arrested by SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad), a notorious division of the Nigerian police known for human rights abuses.

During their detention, Kiran and Jyoti faced aggressive interrogation without proper legal representation, being forced to confront accusations they staunchly denied. The sisters' lack of fluency in Nigerian Pidgin and unfamiliarity with local legal protocols further complicated their situation.

Kiran Mathuru [37:20]: "I was just like, okay, what do you want me to write? Tell me."

Their harrowing experience highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by foreigners caught in local legal systems, especially amidst high-profile scandals.

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Conclusion and Teaser for Part 2

"ENCORE: Gossip Girls | Part 1" sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the Mathuru sisters' tumultuous journey. As Kiran and Jyoti navigate the complexities of fame, influence, and scandal, the episode promises to unravel the intricate dynamics that led to their rise and the subsequent challenges that threatened to dismantle their lives.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where the hosts will continue to uncover the layers of deception, power struggles, and the ultimate resolution of the sisters' ordeal.

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Notable Quotes

• Sarah Hagie [05:08]: "There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed."

• Jyoti Mathuru [24:56]: "I don't like how they're just these villains and these poor men can't resist these sisters."

• Kiran Mathuru [37:12]: "He looked confused, like, oh, you've been posted on it. Like, I thought you owned it."

---

This detailed summary captures the essence of the "Gossip Girls | Part 1" episode, providing an engaging overview for new listeners while highlighting key moments and quotes that define the sisters' narrative.

Transcript

[Sachi Kuhl]

Wondery subscribers can listen to Scamfluencers early.

[Sarah Hagie]

And ad free right now. Join Wonder plus in the Wondery app.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Or Apple Podcasts hey everyone. Last week we announced that Sarah and I are on the LineUp for the first ever Wondery exhibit C, a true crime cruise which is sailing to the Bahamas in January of 2026. It is freezing here and I am so excited for a warm weather escape next winter.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Sachi same. And there are going to be a ton of cool activities aboard like self defense classes, panels with true crime exper trivia nights, spa experiences. The list goes on. Cabins are on sale now so please make sure you grab yours before they sell out because we are so excited to meet you all.

[Sachi Kuhl]

IRL head to exhibit ccruise.com for all the information. You can also find the link in.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

The show Notes Turning now to today's episode, we have an oldie but a goodie. While we work on some brand new episodes, including stories about Hollywood fraudsters and some nerdy gamer scammers, we're revisiting one of our favorite early episodes.

[Sachi Kuhl]

We're returning to the story of two jet setting sisters from Canada, Kiran and Jyoti Mathuru, who found a life of luxury by dating billionaires. But their glamorous life takes a turn after a mysterious video is posted online. In the video, the sisters claim to be the masterminds behind a vicious gossip site that stirred up scandal and controversy in Nigeria. The only problem? The video is a fabrication. When the video was recorded, Kiran and Jyoti were actually stranded in a foreign country after angering a billionaire who has the police in his pocket and and an axe to grind against the sisters.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Wondering.

[Sarah Hagie]

Hi Sarah.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Hey Sachi.

[Sarah Hagie]

Okay, so as someone who is terminally online, I've become obsessed with the evolution of a very specific kind of public messaging, the celebrity apology.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Do not get me started. I am obsessed with celebrity apologies.

[Sarah Hagie]

There's just such a wide variety of them and now most of them are like posted on Instagram, they involve the Notes app and they always include the phrase do the work. And I'm curious if you have a favorite celebrity apology.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

I actually do have a favorite one and it's Morgan Wallen, who is a country music star that I had never heard of until I found out he said the N word he posted on Instagram. He has like a baseball cap on with his sunglasses on the brim of his cap. So casual and you're just kind of like you're apologizing right now for something super serious.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, his was brutal A public apology plays a really big role in the story I'm actually going to tell you today, and I just need to show it to you. It's December 2016, and a video starts making the rounds on gossip sites in Nigeria. It's an apology video, but this isn't some PR produced glossy mea culpa. There's something really off about it.

[Kiran Mathuru]

We apologize to Femi Ochedola and his family, especially his wife and children and.

[Sarah Hagie]

All the other petitioners.

[Kiran Mathuru]

We created a platform called nigerjustlive.com and.

[Sarah Hagie]

Dot co. Sarah, can you describe what you're seeing in the video?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Okay, so I am seeing two girls. They have long, glossy black hair. You know, they have, like, tan skin. And one is reading off a phone.

[Sarah Hagie]

It's a very strange video. And the two women in it are Kiran and Jyoti Mathuru. They're sisters and socialites, and they're known for dating billionaires and posting pictures of themselves looking incredible all over the world.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Kind of like us.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yes, exactly like us. But this video is very much not fabulous. The sisters are in a hotel room near the airport in Lagos, Nigeria, and they're apologizing for running Naija Jisly Live, one of the most notorious gossip blogs in Nigeria. The blog has made explosive accusations about some of the richest people in the country. And for all we know, these claims are completely made up. Think of it as Nigerian deux moi, but with even fewer boundaries. So the man they're apologizing to, Femi Otedola, is rich as hell. He's one of the wealthiest people in Nigeria. He's also been a target of Niger Gist Live. Oh, and this is really important, Sarah. He's also Kieran's ex boyfriend.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Oh, okay, this is getting juicy.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. And the man filming them is another guy who had been burned by Nyjah. Just live. And it's an absolutely brutal comment section. He's urging the sisters to fess up, to admit on camera that they are the masterminds behind the blog.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Okay, so are they actually the masterminds behind this blog? Because they don't really look Nigerian to me.

[Sarah Hagie]

Well, that's what everyone's dying to know. And the truth is much darker and far more unbelievable than this confession video.

[Unknown]

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[Sachi Kuhl]

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[Jyoti Mathuru]

And I'm Sarah Hagie.

[Sachi Kuhl]

And this is Scamflancers.

[Sarah Hagie]

Come and give me your attention. I won't ever learn my lesson. Turn my speakers to 11. I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Kuhl]

To help make sense of all the gossip and the scandal, we went right to the source. I got to interview Jyothi and Kiran about what actually went down and why they recorded that confession video. And Sarah, this interview was so revealing, it made me see everything completely differently. This is a story about power, beauty and influence. And at the heart of it all is one of my favorite things. Gossip. This is part one of our two part series, Gossip Girls.

[Sarah Hagie]

The Mathuru sister story will take us to Lagos, Paris, Venice and the Maldives. But first, it begins at the Sherway Gardens Mall in Etobicoke, Ontario.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Shut up. Canadas were small, no?

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

This story brings us to Etobicoke.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Oh my God.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Kieran sets the scene better than I can. Listen to this from our interview.

[Unknown]

So I used to work part time and that was in 2008 while we were still in college. And I don't know, I was really dressed up. I used to dress up a lot. I used to work at the store called Marciano. It was like a fashion store. They had a lot of fancy dresses and club dresses. So I used to wear that step to work.

[Sarah Hagie]

It's not exactly her dream job, but it helps pay the bills. She and her older sister Jyoti are both enrolled in the same two year fashion business program at Humber College. So even though Jyoti is two years older than Kiran, they're often mistaken for twins, but they're different in a lot of ways. Kiran is a chess player. She gets good grades in science and math. Jyoti is more interested in literature and history. Kiran often rocks a side part while Jyoti parts her hair right down the middle. These are very important distinctions, but they're basically inseparable. After Jyoti graduated, she waited two years to start fashion school so that they could go together. And ever since high school, the sisters have loved dressing up. I mean, they were the ones rolling into homeroom wearing halter tops, colored contacts, and high heels.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

I feel like I know and went to school with this exact type of suburban girl.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yeah, they're so cool.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

When you're a late bloomer, you see them and you're like, I'm never going to be a woman.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yeah, I still sometimes feel like that. And I'm sure that their classmates may have given them a lot of side eye, but honestly, Jyoti and Kiran do not give a single fuck. They go out to nightclubs like Fluid or Oxygen almost every single night. Sarah, do you remember those clubs?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Wasn't cool enough. Go on.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Okay, well, me neither, but the sisters were.

[Kiran Mathuru]

We would party every day. We used to go out a lot.

[Unknown]

My dad always used to, like, lock us out. He would try to let us sleep in the car. Anything to make us stop going out.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Nevertheless, they persisted.

[Sachi Kuhl]

They persisted. And the girls have been focused on curating their aesthetic from the jump. Fashionable and untouchable, they know they're destined for something bigger. Bigger than Toronto. Bigger than their sheltered upbringing in the loving but overbearing Indian Canadian family they have. Not that I know anything about that. And even though this is years before influencer was a common term, Jyoti's got those instincts. She's constantly taking pictures on a disposable camera, and she uploads them to Facebook every week.

[Kiran Mathuru]

I used to call a selfie a close up. So when you take your camera and you take a picture, which I always.

[Unknown]

Used to take, you turned your camera around.

[Kiran Mathuru]

My caption was close up, and now it's called a selfie.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Wow. She was ahead of her time.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yes. So back to this one afternoon in the Marciano store in 2008.

[Unknown]

One day, some guy walked in and he was pretending to shop for his sister. And he was very handsome, very charming.

[Sarah Hagie]

That's Kieran talking about Chris. He's a Nigerian businessman. He's really fit. And he dresses really well, like, pea coats and scarves and fedoras. Just try to keep in mind this is 2008. So all of that was. Was, like, a dope look. He's incredibly confident, like, almost too confident. And he makes her laugh. She likes that. He's so different from the guys that they've been around in Toronto, you know, broke college guys. Once a guy at a bar asked Jyoti to pay for his beer because he couldn't pay for a beer and for parking. And Chris is very clearly not a deadbeat. So when he asks Kieran out, she says yes. And he really pursues her.

[Unknown]

He was always messaging me and saying, let's go out here and there. Like, he wanted to go to clubs and dinners and stuff, and I was always like, no, I'm not gonna really go out.

[Sarah Hagie]

So they start meeting for lunches. But, like, how romantic can lunch be, you know? Chris says he wants to spend more time with her, so he invites her to go on a trip to Atlanta. But she wants her sister Jyoti to tag along. And Jyoti, well, she just found out that the guy she's been dating for years had been cheating on her. So she says, all right, what the hell, let's go to Atlanta.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, especially if they're this kind of unit. They trust each other, their sisters, their strength. When it's two people saying yes to something, they could easily kind of get out of it, you know?

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, I mean, listen, I would go, too. The sisters tell their parents they're taking a girls trip to New York, and then they head off to Georgia instead.

[Sachi Kuhl]

They've been waiting for their world to.

[Sarah Hagie]

Expand, and here's their chance. Here's Jyothi.

[Kiran Mathuru]

We've always been like risk takers, where somebody says, hey, let's do this. We're like, okay, we'll say yes first and then think about it, like, ask the questions later.

[Sarah Hagie]

In Atlanta, Chris had invited a friend of his for Jyoti. We're going to call him SD And Kiran says he was a bit of a mystery at first. Jyoti plays it cool, but she says it doesn't take long for Esti to charm her.

[Kiran Mathuru]

So he ended up coming to the mall and everything. I was, like, looking at. He would just buy it for me. I wasn't used to that, like, someone spoiling me and giving me money to go shopping and things like that.

[Sarah Hagie]

Well, then a few weeks later, Esti invites them on another trip. They meet him in Florida And Esti shows the sisters to his private plane, which they then take to Paris and then to Athens and finally to Nigeria. Jyothi says that the guys were eager to show these sheltered sisters the world. They go to fancy restaurants and shop at haute couture boutiques.

[Kiran Mathuru]

It was just surreal, like, so crazy. But I was just there taking pictures. Pictures, Pictures. Pictures of everything.

[Sarah Hagie]

Kieran says that they are totally swept up in the moment.

[Unknown]

I think when you're in it, it's happening so fast that you're so excited that you don't notice, like, how you're really feeling. You're just excited. And that's the only emotion you get.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah. I mean, if you're 21 years old, this is the coolest. Okay, Forget if you're 21.

[Sarah Hagie]

This is the coolest thing at any age.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

This is the coolest thing that could happen to me at 31.

[Sarah Hagie]

For the sisters, the glamorous future they imagined for themselves is finally here. But who knows for how long? At the last stop of their whirlwind trip, the sisters step off a private jet in Abuja, Nigeria. They walk along the tarmac lined with palm. Palm trees. It's hot as hell. And if it wasn't already clear that SD was operating on a whole other level financially, Jyoti says that it becomes pretty clear when they arrive in Nigeria.

[Kiran Mathuru]

So there was, like, a bunch of G wagons that picked us up. So we get into the car. There's obviously drivers. He's not driving. He's in the back with me in one car. She's with Chris in another car, and our luggage is riding in a different car. We were like, this is so crazy.

[Sarah Hagie]

They stay at Esti's house. It's this sprawling mansion, marble top to bottom. It has a piano room on the estate. Esti keeps horses because he plays polo. Obviously, a chef is ready to make spaghetti bolognese at a moment's notice. And, of course, there's a pool.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

These girls got on this plane, hopped from country to country, ended up in Nigeria, and now they're on this compound where there are horses and a chef.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, shit's dope. Jyothi says that the sisters love Nigeria.

[Kiran Mathuru]

Right away, they made us feel really, really special. Like, I think Nigerians in general, they're very welcoming, and they want you to, like, understand their culture. And we kind of are like that. When we go somewhere, we try to learn a lot about the culture, and they really appreciate that.

[Sarah Hagie]

When Jyoti and Kiran get back home to Toronto, they think of what an incredible life experience they just had. And Jyoti says that she doesn't expect anything more.

[Kiran Mathuru]

I was just thinking, even if I never saw him again, that was the most amazing trip ever. Like, so crazy, so surreal.

[Sarah Hagie]

But sd, he's definitely caught feelings right away. He asks, when are you coming back? And two weeks later, the sisters are back in Lagos.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

You know, there's a universe where this story could have ended there. And like, a story they tell their friends, like, oh, my God. So this guy came into Marciano anyway, super hot, super rich. He took us to his palace in Nigeria, and then we just kind of went home and never talked to him again. It was a great experience.

[Sachi Kuhl]

All right, but here's the thing. Obviously, Jyoti knew Esti was rich, but now he tells the sisters that he's one of the richest men in all of Africa. His grandfather made several fortunes in oil and gas. This is old money passed down from generations. And with SD footing the bill, the Matrus begin a whole new life. One that will bring them money, influence, romance, and the attention of a whole lot of haters.

[Sarah Hagie]

So the sisters tell their parents that they got jobs as flight attendants on private jets. And then they make part time homes for themselves in Lagos's luxury hotels. Sarah, what do you know about Lagos?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

I know it is one of the biggest cities, if not the biggest city in Africa, and that it is like a real party city, beach town. Like any Nigerian I know who posts pictures visiting Lagos, I'm like, this place looks amazing.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, it seems like fun as hell. And that's part of why Jyoti says that the sisters love it.

[Kiran Mathuru]

There's no rules. Everyone's just fun. There's something going on every night.

[Sachi Kuhl]

And thanks to SD, the sisters are treated as VIPs. They settle into a new normal, a life of luxury.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

It's a life we were literally meant to have.

[Sachi Kuhl]

But okay, yeah, we were supposed to live like this. Well, the sisters find that they're well suited to run in circles with the wealthy, generous and discreet.

[Unknown]

Here's what Kiran says, because we're generally quiet people. Yeah, like, we kind of keep to ourselves. We'll whisper to each other. We're not like, too loud. And I think a lot of men test you for that. They want to know where you're comfortable to be taken.

[Sarah Hagie]

Jyoti still posts pictures of their international travels, but the men she dates are never in them. And she takes care to protect their privacy and her own. She posts late to her blog and later to Instagram. So all these randos don't know where she is. And Kieran says, I know some people.

[Unknown]

Have unique things on, like their planes or yachts. So she would actually blur out things, change the color of the carpet.

[Kiran Mathuru]

I would remove the tail number off aircraft for sure.

[Unknown]

These men are private. They don't want their life out there like that. And you don't want to end up on a blog like, you know, they want their privacy, so that is pretty surprising.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Even though they are definitely posting for people to see how fabulous their lives are, they do value privacy in a way that I wasn't really expecting.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. And Jyoti is the serial monogamist of the two, so she dates Esti for years. But Kieran is ready to leverage their connections to meet other interesting and wealthy men. So she gets subscriptions to business magazines and she does her homework.

[Unknown]

I was always reading Forbes Africa. I can memorize people's faces and I know who the person is right away. So if I was at a party or something and I saw one of the guys that was on the COVID I would just kind of make myself available. So he would approach me and it became a bit of a game.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Okay, writing this down.

[Sarah Hagie]

These are good tips.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Does she have any more that you asked her about in this?

[Sachi Kuhl]

Well, with these connections comes more jet setting, designer shopping sprees and luxury photo ops. It's great content for the Gram and their new lifestyle blog, Matropolitan. Thousands of people follow them and brands come knocking with paid partnership opportunities. So they've got a pretty good side hustle going. But their main source of income is the men they're dating and they're living really well. Jyoti and Esti eventually break up, but she finds new boyfriends and Kiran plays the field and the girls develop a presence in Nigeria. They're known as the Canadian Kardashians. Here, check out some Instagram posts from around this time and let me know what you think.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

They look like socialites. They look like rich, hot girls on Instagram that you wouldn't really think twice about other than to be like, how did they get all that money?

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. But their blog is just one in Nigeria's vibrant online ecosystem. And you know what? Some people are not too welcoming to these outside insider sisters.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Alright, let's talk about treating yourself. We all deserve something nice, right? But here's the thing. Luxury doesn't have to mean emptying your bank account. That's where Quince comes in.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yep.

[Sachi Kuhl]

You can score a genuine Mongolian cashmere sweater for just $50. And they've got everything from washable silk tops to 14 karat gold jewelry that won't turn your skin green.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Here's what makes Quince different. They're giving you the good stuff at 50 to 80% less than you'd pay elsewhere. How? They skip the retail markup by working directly with the same factories as similar brands.

[Sachi Kuhl]

I've bought so much stuff from quints and I bought a lot of stuff from my mom who is extremely picky and she has been living in all of the cotton sweatpants and sweatshirts and I have been going out in all of the Tencel jersey dresses. I look very good in them. Sarah.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah? You are a quints girly through and through.

[Sachi Kuhl]

It's true.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Give yourself the luxury you deserve with quints. Go to quints quince.com scampod for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns.

[Sachi Kuhl]

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com scampod to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com scampod bombas makes the most comfortable socks, underwear and T shirts.

[Unknown]

Bombas are so absurdly comfortable, you may.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Throw out all your other clothes.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Sorry, do we legally have to say that?

[Sachi Kuhl]

No, this is just how I talk.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

And I really love my bombas.

[Sachi Kuhl]

They do feel that good. And they do good too.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

One item purchased equals one item donated.

[Sachi Kuhl]

To feel good and do good, go to bombas.com wondry and use code wondry for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M b-s.com wondry and use code wondry at checkout. A few years into their new lives as glamorous socialites Kiran and Jyoti arrive at the launch of an new restaurant. It's on Victoria Island, a wealthy enclave off the coast of Lagos. The restaurant is called Bazaar, and Kiran's been working with them as a consultant. She's kind of like a proto food influencer. So guests start arriving at the party around 11, and the crowd's full of Nollywood actors, Afro pop stars, and what some Nigerians refer to as ajabotas. That means butter eaters in Euro Aruba. Rich kids tonight, there's a prince, the founder of a global news channel, and a Nigerian ambassador in the crowd. And the sisters are there to welcome them and mingle.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Wow. They have moved their way up.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. And at this point in 2013, people know who the sisters are. They pop up at all the hottest parties and they're pretty hard to miss. They float around the party wearing the trinkets of their bougie lifestyles. Rolex, Gucci, and they even wear matching bright red lipstick. Kieran stops to talk to one of the guests, a blogger named Abiola Aloba. He wears these bright, funky glasses and he's bald with a big bushy beard. And Kieran is a delightful host. She leaves him with a great impression. So he writes as much in his blog. Sarah, can you read what he says about the sisters?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Jyoti and Kiran, as usual, were perfect hostesses, looking as gloriously stylish as usual.

[Sachi Kuhl]

And at this time, blogging in Nigeria is pretty major. It's such a big deal that legit journalists like Abiola have left their traditional media jobs to run blogs of their own. And the most popular blogs are gossip sites. Everyone's reading them and the comment sections are, you could say, lively. When Abiola publishes this post, the comments come rolling in. One says, and brace yourself here, Sarah. Their high point is that they only do orgies and anal sex, things Niger women don't usually do.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

I feel bad for these girls. Like this isn't their fault.

[Sachi Kuhl]

No, they didn't do anything. And let me be clear here. The Matharu sisters say that everything published about them on these blogs is absolutely false. Specifically, Jyoti calls them disgusting lies. So just keep that in mind when you hear the quotes from this gossip column on a blog called the Capital. This column is brutal. Sarah, can you read this excerpt?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

It says, quote, they fly to any part of the world. Monaco, London, Paris. Inclusive to pleasure the loins and vanities of their super rich clients. Practically all the rich guys in Nigeria have spent time with them. Little wonder their names strike fear into the hearts of many rich married women in Nigeria. I don't like how they're just these villains and these poor men can't resist these sisters. Yeah, you know, it's just so disgusting that they're getting blamed for these men acting out.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yeah, it's childish, basically. These are very childish things that you would say about adults. And the sisters say that a lot of it is just totally made up. In an email to us, Jyothi writes, we have not, do not and never will do any of these things, nor did we ever need to do them to get these men. And as you might imagine, the sisters are getting attention, which brings in a lot of customers to the restaurant where they're working. Bizarre. But it's not exactly the attention they had hoped for. Kieran says that the owner of the restaurant mostly wants them to hang out in the VIP room.

[Unknown]

They wanted to make us like the face of the restaurant but that just became more trouble for us because like they just, guys were just coming there to just kind of introduce themselves, get our number or something.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Okay. So this was kind of like they, these people were using them as a type of mascot almost.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, it's a bit of a double edged sword here. And so they part with the restaurant before long. But just as their dream of being restaurant moguls goes up in flames, the owner of Bizaar introduces them to one of the richest men they've ever met. Someone who takes an intense interest in Kieran. And he'll end up altering the course of both sisters lives for better and then for far, far worse.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Kieran met Femi Otedola while hosting parties and Lagos food and nightlife scene. Femi's an imposing man. He's in his 50s and slightly balding with thick framed glasses. He's got a well groomed salt and pepper beard and he's usually dressed in a traditional Yoruba outfit, a loose fitting shirt and slim cut pants. His money comes from petroleum and when Kieran meets him, he's worth more than a billion dollars. With all that money, he is not used to taking no for an answer. Here's Kieran.

[Unknown]

I told him outright that I'm dating someone else and I'm really like, you know, not interested at this moment. It just made him go harder and he kept pursuing me and eventually I gave in.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Oh, and Femi is married. He's actually got a swanky $12 million yacht named the Nana after his wife. But that's not the only hiccup. Kieran says that Femi is flaky and paranoid, that he believes he's being surveilled by cops and the government, which, I mean, that one is actually kind of true. In 2012, a video surfaced of him allegedly bribing a Nigerian politician. Femi was never charged because he claimed that actually he set up the sting to expose government corruption.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Ah yes, classic tactic. Well, I actually wasn't doing anything illegal. I pretended to so the government could be exposed. So you're welcome.

[Sachi Kuhl]

It's a classic, classic move. And Kieran says that Femi rolls with a handful of security guards and he uses an old Nokia phone because he doesn't want email to be hacked. So he's a little eccentric. But Kieran enjoys her time with Femi and I should say. We reached out to Femi for a comment on his relationship with Kieran and we didn't Hear back in 2013, Kieran breaks things off with Femi and starts dating someone else. She thinks that they part on good terms, but little does she know Femi is stewing over it. And that resentment is about to make the Moth through Sisters even more famous and get them into a whole lot of trouble. Around that time that Kieran splits from Femi, a new kind of gossip site takes hold in Lagos. It's more like a public message board, which means it can get pretty unhinged. It's called Nyja Just Live. And let me tell you about this site, Sarah. It is messy. The publisher regularly posts explosive allegations about Lagos is rich and powerful, who's neglecting their children, who's offering bribes to government officials. The site exposes damaging secrets and it makes really serious allegations that could lead to real legal trouble. And this site is where a lot of gossip about the sisters is spreading. And people can't stop reading it because here's the thing, it operates differently from other gossip blogs in Nigeria. With other sites, wealthy people can usually threaten to have the publisher arrested or thrown in jail or worse, according to Jyothi. But the publisher of Naija Just Live is anonymous, which means there's just nobody to go after. Plus the publisher doesn't moderate the comments which are loaded with allegations against the wealthy and well connected. Here's how Jyothi describes it.

[Kiran Mathuru]

It was just kind of whatever people want to write in the free flowing gossip. That's what it was like. No limits.

[Sachi Kuhl]

But Jyoti and Kiran aren't phased. Growing up, their extended family had a lot to say about how they dressed, how often they went out, the guys they dated. So they're used to tuning it all out. And the sisters actually relish being the center of attention, even if that attention is kind of negative.

[Kiran Mathuru]

If I'm not talked about, I feel irrelevant.

[Unknown]

Yeah, we actually welcome it. I like drama on my page too.

[Sachi Kuhl]

And the Sisters are becoming a fixture of the Nigerian gossip mill. But not everyone is able to take it in stride. The hunt for the anonymous owner of Niger Just Live is on. And those targeted by the site will show no mercy. It's October 2016 and things are starting to change in Nigeria. Lately the news has been dominated by stories about Nigeria's failing economy. Kieran's old billionaire beau Femi saw his fortune plummet from more than a billion to a mere $550 million.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

I'd be like 550 million, baby. Said you were a billionaire.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Sorry, but the sisters are still living. Well, Sarah, don't worry. They're still traveling back and forth between Canada and Nigeria, they squeeze in luxury trips to Dubai, London, Spain. Their lifestyle is still being funded by rich men, and those glamorous adventures keep the content machine churning on their blog and Instagram. But one day Kieran comes across a shocking headline. It says that police have identified the man behind notorious gossip site Nyja Just Live. The guy is a web designer and aspiring rapper named Babatunde Oye Body. He has a sweet face, round cheeks and deep eyes. He has a tattoo of the words hip hop on the backside of his lower arm. But now he's in prison. He was taken from his home by police charged with allegedly using the site for extortion, demanding money from the rich and powerful to take down negative stories. And the report lists Femi as one of the site's victims. Kieran isn't surprised to see Femi's name. He hates the Nigerian gossip world. She even suspects that he might be leading the charge against Babatunde and the sisters figure Babatunde's guilty mystery solved. But what they can't know yet is this is only the beginning of the Nyjah Just Live takedown. And it's about to make them the stars of an explosive international scandal.

[Sarah Hagie]

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[Sachi Kuhl]

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[Sarah Hagie]

I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Kuhl]

On December 14, 2016, two months after Babatunde's identity was revealed, the Mathru sisters are back in Lagos. Kiran's latest boyfriend invited them back for the holiday season, which has back to back parties night after night. Late in the afternoon, they're resting in their suite at the Echo Signature Hotel. A disco nap before the evening activities. But then they're disturbed by a loud banging at the door. Through the peephole, Kieran sees a staff member from the hotel. So she opens the door, but behind the staffer are six guys in regular clothes. They burst in and say that they're the cops and that the sisters have to come to the police station.

[Sarah Hagie]

Here's Jyothi.

[Kiran Mathuru]

And they were kind of just like, you need to come now. Get dressed. And we're like, we're not leaving, because the best thing you could do is not leave, because you don't know who these people are. We don't even know if they're officers.

[Sachi Kuhl]

One officer takes photos of the sisters in their bathrobes, and it quickly ends up online. Jyothi's on the phone with one of the men she knows in Lagos. He tells her, don't leave the hotel room. And Kieran's new boyfriend asks her, what did you do to Femi? He must be the one behind this. But then the cops confiscate their phones, and they tell the sisters that if they don't get dressed, they'll just haul them to the police station in their robes. So they change fast. Police lead them through the lobby of their hotel and into a white van. An officer slams the door shut, and the van takes off, whisking Kiran and Jyothi away on their most unexpected journey yet. Officers drive the sisters to a police station and take them into a dimly lit interrogation room. They sit down on broken chairs, and one cop, Officer Philip Adebowale, hits them with questions. Do you have a blog? Are you good at making websites? And according to Toronto Life, Officer Philip finally reveals that they're being questioned about Naijah. Just live, Jyoti tells them. We've been talked about on that blog.

[Kiran Mathuru]

He looked confused, like, oh, you've been posted on it. Like, I thought you owned it. So he didn't even know what he came to investigate.

[Sarah Hagie]

They finish the interview and go back to the white van. Karen and Jyoti are relieved. This rude interruption to their party prep time is finally over.

[Sachi Kuhl]

But then the van approaches their hotel.

[Sarah Hagie]

And it just keeps going. The sisters are confused. Their car Barrels towards the Lagos airport and then stops in the dirt driveway of another police station. The women are now in SARS custody. And, Sarah, you already know this from a previous episode, so can you tell us what SARS is?

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah, it stands for the Special Anti Robbery Squad. So it's like this arm of the Nigerian police force, and they are a major human rights violator. Like, they target victims at random. And detainees are allegedly tortured, beaten, starved, shot, and threatened with execution.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yeah, exactly right. So keep in mind, the Mathura sisters can't speak or write in Nigerian pidgin. And Niger just live is written in part in pidgin. So when the police ask them to write statements, they refuse to confess to running the blog.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah. I mean, why admit to something you didn't do in a language you cannot speak?

[Sachi Kuhl]

Yeah. Here's what Jyoti says about it.

[Kiran Mathuru]

I was just like, okay, what do you want me to write? Tell me. So he said, write your name. I wrote it. He said, oh, what are you. How long have you been here? So I was writing generic information.

[Sachi Kuhl]

According to the sisters, Officer Philip also asks them to write down the names of the people they know in Nigeria, including their phone numbers. Again, they refuse. They know that a list like this could be used for blackmail. By this time. It's getting late, the sisters say Officer Philip leads them through the prison and past a cell full of men who gawk at them to another cell. Jyoti begs the officers to let them go. She's on her period. She says she doesn't have any tampons, but Officer Philip doesn't care. They're led into a holding cell, and the door is locked behind them. And they have no idea what. Why they're being held or when they'll ever be let out. The sisters jail cell looks like a pig pen. There are buckets of water for bathing behind a curtain. There's a hole in the floor. That's the bathroom. And about a dozen other women are crowded inside. Kieran is shaken when one woman beats another for stealing a cell phone.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Oh, my God. Like, so at this point, they still have zero idea what's going on. They don't have a lawyer.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, it's total chaos, but there are some small gestures of kindness.

[Unknown]

One of the girls was really nice, and they had one mattress there that everyone was sharing. Yeah, she made us a space on the mattress. She flipped a bucket. So you can sit.

[Kiran Mathuru]

Yeah, Because I was, like, standing and crying. She's like, here, sit and cry.

[Sarah Hagie]

I mean, they're a couple of years.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Removed from this experience.

[Sarah Hagie]

Right. So now they're able to laugh about it, but it all sounds so dark.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah, I mean, I just couldn't imagine just being ripped from a hotel room thinking like, oh, this is a misunderstanding, you know? And also their families don't know where they are.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. Well, Kiran tries to get some shut eye, but the sound of skittering rats keeps her up. And Jyoti lies awake wondering how the hell they got here before she was certain it would only be a matter of time before they were back in their hotel suite. And now it isn't so clear.

[Kiran Mathuru]

Coming from Canada, you're like, they can't hold me for. Not like that. You have to have proof. And we were stuck in that mentality that you have to have proof, you have to have something on us. And, like, you can't just put us in a jail cell without a lawyer. And I think all that stuff went out the window the minute they put us in there. And I'm like, oh, my God. Like, that was when it became serious.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Okay, Sachi. I mean, this is extremely sad. I couldn't imagine what they're going through. Being ripped out of your hotel room, not knowing where you are, how long you're gonna be in jail. Like, it's terrifying. I am wondering, though, what is the scam?

[Sarah Hagie]

I mean, I think there's like a.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Version of the story where they would.

[Sarah Hagie]

Have been the scammers because they're like, taking advantage of all these rich men. But I think the way that things are shaking out, it seems like the girls have actually been scammed. Right? Like someone's trying to pin something on them.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Yeah, exactly.

[Sachi Kuhl]

But the girls make it through the night. In the morning, the cops take them back to their hotel and search their things. They confiscate the sisters passports and their shared laptop. And then the police shuttle the sisters to the r A city hotel near the airport. And there they're put under 24. 7 surveillance. They aren't allowed to leave. They still haven't seen any paperwork. They still haven't been able to speak with a lawyer. And if they ever want to get their freedom back, they might just have to confess to a crime they never even committed. If you like scamplancers, you can listen to every episode early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey. This is part one of our two part series Gossip Girls.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

We used many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were how to Date a Lot of Billionaires by Dan Levin in the New York Times and the Untold Story of the Canadian Kardashians in Toronto Life by Alexandra Kimball.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Jessica Ford wrote this episode. Additional writing by Sachi Cole and Sarah Hagee. Additional reporting by Sarah Enny. Jen Swan is our senior producer. John Reed is our producer. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Tate Busby. Sarah Enny is our story editor. Our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Fact checking by Sonya Maynard. Our music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Freeze on Sync. Adrian Tapia provided audio assistance. Our sound design is by Jay Rothman. Our executive producers are Jeanine Cornello, Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louie for Wondery. Hey everyone. Sachi here and Sarah.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

You know those sketchy messages we all get? The job offers that seem too good to be true?

[Sachi Kuhl]

Well, we thought we'd seen every type of scam out there, but this story completely blew our minds.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Those messages, they're actually coming from people trapped inside heavily guarded compounds, forced to scam others at gunpoint.

[Sachi Kuhl]

Scam Factory Wondry's riveting new series exposes a multi billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

And this isn't your typical social media scam. Inside these compounds, armed guards ensure the only way out is to scam your way out.

[Sachi Kuhl]

And trust us, after covering countless scams, this story left even us shocked.

[Jyoti Mathuru]

Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.