People called them the ‘Canadian Kardashians’. Their luxurious lifestyles would end in a jail cell.

Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo lived the kind of lifestyle that only the guests of The White Lotus could dream up.

Dubbed the 'Canadian Kardashians', these two Indian-Canadian sisters became known for their opulent lifestyles and controversial rise to fame.

The Matharoos initially pursued careers in fashion before their lives took a dramatic turn after meeting a wealthy magnate. A case of mistaken identity would land the women in a Nigerian jail cell.

The true story of the 'Canadian Kardashians', Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo.

Born to Indian immigrant parents in Toronto, Jyoti and Kiran grew up in North York. As children, their parents instilled in them a strong sense of self, which became evident during their teenage years.

While attending Emery Collegiate Institute in the late 1990s, they were known for their bold fashion choices, including their signature halter tops, coloured contacts, body-hugging dresses and high heels. Their style was inspired by Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

These sisters made a splash in the Canadian social scene. Image: Instagram/@kiran_matharoo.

Out of the sisters, Jyoti was the romantic dreamer with a love for literature, while Kiran was the pragmatic chess enthusiast with a knack for math and science.

After high school, the sisters pursued a fashion arts and business program at Humber College. They worked retail jobs to fund their love for fashion and nightlife.

By their early 20s, they were fixtures in Toronto's club scene, embodying the 'anti-social socialite' persona.

Their lives took a dramatic turn when Kiran met a wealthy Nigerian businessman.

This man introduced them to a world of private jets, luxury yachts, and designer wardrobes. This marked the beginning of their transformation into social media influencers with a taste for opulence.

The sisters became big names in Nigerian society. Image: Instagram/@kiran_matharoo.

The Matharoo sisters quickly gained notoriety on Instagram for flaunting their lavish lifestyles. "The only time I go shopping is when someone gives me their credit card," Kiran said in a profile for the New York Times.

This Nigerian businessman Kiran was dating was a petroleum magnate with immense wealth who readily shared it with the sisters. "He's not a rapper with expensive watches," Jyoti told the NYT.

"It's generations and generations of money."

When they weren't shopping in Paris, they were yachting in the Bahamas, or sunbathing in Saint-Tropez — and all accessed with the help of a private jet.

They spent a lot of their time in Lagos, a cultural hub of Nigeria where Jyoti and Kiran became prominent fixtures in the city's elite social scene.

With trips to exotic locations, designer outfits, and connections to billionaires, they were often compared to the Kardashian family.

The sisters became affectionately known as the 'Canadian Kardashians' due to their similar appearance: their faces, hourglass body shapes and tendency to wear spandex bodysuits (ala Kim Kardashian).

Watch Kim Kardashian say she only has '10 more years' when she'll look good. Post continues after video.

Their unapologetic flaunting of their luxurious life earned them both admiration and criticism.

They became known as the sisters who only dated billionaires. "I'm attracted by the power of who they are, what they do and what position they are on the Forbes billionaire list," Jyoti told the NYT.

Then in December 2016, the sisters' glamorous lives came crashing down when they were arrested in Lagos.

"I told them I'm going to call my embassy, but when I started dialling, one guy grabbed the phone out of my hand," Jyoti told the NYT.

"We thought we were being kidnapped," Kiran added.

The sisters were accused of running a gossip website called NaijaGistLive, which sounds like a Nigerian version of Gossip Girl. Police alleged that the sisters used the platform to blackmail wealthy Nigerians by threatening to release compromising information.

Amongst their alleged victims was oil tycoon Femi Otedola, who was Kiren's ex-boyfriend.

The officers took their passports, phones and Nigerian currency worth more than $11,000 from the safe.

The sisters denied owning the website — which they were often targeted by — but were still detained for 18 days. They claim to have been taken to a rat-infested jail cell with only a few pieces of foam to use for beds.

The sisters were known for their lavish lifestyles. Image: Instagram/@kiran_matharoo.

The sisters claim they were released on one condition: they had to record a video confession apologising to Femi Otedola in exchange for their passports.

This confession — made under duress — was widely circulated online, tarnishing their reputation. "Everyone has downfalls," the sisters later reflected to Forbes.

"The only difference is ours happened in the public eye while most people fight their battles in private."

The fallout extended beyond Nigeria. Jyoti faced travel restrictions due to an outstanding warrant in the United States, while Kiran was detained without food or water in Venice, Italy for being on Interpol's watchlist.

"I was crying and crying," Kiran told NYT, noting she was under provisional arrest. "They said, 'There's a flag on your passport from Interpol.'"

She ended up spending 40 days in jail. Kiran was awaiting extradition to Nigeria, but Nigeria never filed the extradition paperwork, so she was eventually permitted to fly home to Canada.

After the scandal, the sisters wrote an official statement on their blog to address what happened. Throughout it all, the Matharoos fought to clear their names.

The sisters shared their story with the Canadian media. Image: CityNews.

"Don't let people bully you and make you out to be something you're not. We took an assertive approach and wrote to all the publications who wrote false and derogatory stories about us, threatening to sue if they didn't print retractions," the sisters told Forbes.

"They offered to share our side of the story when we were ready to do interviews to clear our names."

Eventually, after the sisters raised flags with Interpol, the international crime organisation deleted their names from its database.

As soon as she got the news, Jyoti booked a holiday to Dubai.

Where are Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo now?

Despite the controversy and legal battles, Jyoti and Kiran have managed to rebuild their lives. And they're kinda… thriving.

If their Instagrams are anything to go by, they both continue to live lavish lifestyles: they're seen wearing designer threads and frequenting private jets and fancy restaurants as they travel around the world.

Between the two sisters, they have over 100,000 followers.

Back in Canada, they initially retreated from social media but later re-emerged with new career ventures. Kiran launched a YouTube channel focusing on food and fashion, while Jyoti is working on a book titled How to Meet a Billionaire.

It's clear from a cursory glance at their Instagram pages that excessive wealth is still a big part of their brand.

Image: Instagram/@jyotimatharoo.

Together, they also started a fashion line called SPCTRMstudio.

These days, the Matharoo sisters continue to embrace their controversial past while striving to find ways to turn their scandal into an opportunity.

"When people got a glimpse of our worst times and saw that our lives are not perfect, it really helped us connect with our audience more," they told Forbes.

"Sharing our story literally turned enemies into fans."

Feature image: Instagram/@kiran_matharoo.