KZN make-up artist accused of R100 000 attempted extortion

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Durban - AN Estcourt financial planner has laid charges of attempted extortion against a well-known Durban make-up artist and businesswoman after she allegedly sent her a threatening email demanding R100 000. Yugeshnie “Geshy” Reddy has charged her former friend, Shiloh Woodarajh, formerly known as Shiloh King of the Glo brand. Woodarajh came under the spotlight last year after she allegedly duped customers with cheap make-up products that had been relabelled as Glo Cosmetics products. In an email, seen by POST, a person purporting to be Woodarajh, demanded the money from Reddy for a supposed business deal. Reddy claimed her life was threatened if she did not make the payment in a specified time frame.

“Do what you have to do to save your life cos i (sic) will destroy you with the evidence I have. You will not only lose your job, you will lose your reputation and your son will lose his mother” the email read.

Reddy said she felt threatened and now lived in fear.

“I have no idea about what money is owed (and) her personal business dealings, and had even asked her to leave me out of her personal affairs.

“I have since had to take extra safety precautions. Due to child abduction being a major concern, we have even had to place a tracking device on my 6-year-old son.”

But Woodarajh denied the allegation of extortion, and instead claimed she wanted what was rightfully hers.

She told POST that Reddy had allegedly introduced her businessman friend to her as a potential investor.

“He took money from my husband on the pretence of using it for legal purposes but no such work was done. After many false promises and lies, he basically ran off with the money,” she alleged.

She added that the email was merely to request her money back: “I asked her to give it to me from her own money, because it was based on her word that we gave him money.”

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said a case of extortion was being investigated by Estcourt police.

POST