Nephew of late drug kingpin Teddy Mafia appears in court for murder of Shallcross man

THE nephew of the late notorious drug kingpin Yaganathan ‘Teddy Mafia’ Pillay made a brief appearance in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Monday, for the murder of Shallcross man Justin Pillay.

Nashlin Krishin, 28, was arrested in October, moments before he was due to appear in the Durban Regional Court with Teddy Mafia’s son-in-law Kesavan Isaac Naidoo, and grandson Carlton Naidoo, for another attempted murder case.

On Monday in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court, the murder case against Krishin and his two co-accused, Simphiwe Mbambo and Sipho Makhaya, was transferred to the Durban Regional Court.

They have been charged for the alleged execution-style killing of Pillay, 40, at his home in July 2025.

Makhaya appeared in absentia as there were challenges bringing him from Westville Prison, where he is serving a sentence for a previous conviction.

Pillay, who lived opposite Teddy Mafia’s family home in Taurus Street, was shot more than 30 times in his head, face, and body when armed men posing as police officers allegedly forced their way into his flat and shot him while he was asleep in his bedroom.

Pillay was a State witness in an attempted murder case related to Kesavan and his son Carlton.

The attack was suspected to be revenge related, and he was killed in full view of his 68-year-old  father, Poobalan Govindsamy Pillay.

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