By Huldah Shado
A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, has been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru, India, for allegedly trafficking a large quantity of drugs.
Akinwunmi, a self-identified hairstylist and nail artist, was apprehended last Tuesday at Tarahunase village along Rajanukunte Main Road with 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals.
The seized drugs are estimated to be worth approximately ₹10 crore, or over ₦1.8 billion.
According to the police, Akinwunmi claimed she had come to India to establish a beauty salon.
However, investigators suspect she was serving as a drug courier, tasked with delivering the illicit substances to a syndicate of African drug dealers.
Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted her after she arrived from Delhi carrying a suspicious bag. Inside were the drugs concealed along with 11 newly purchased traditional Indian outfits.
During interrogation, Akinwunmi denied knowledge of the bag’s contents, saying a friend in Delhi had asked her to deliver it to a man “wearing a black hat.”
She identified herself as the daughter of a Nigerian civil servant but declined to provide further personal details.
Further investigation revealed that she entered India in October 2021 on a business visa and later acquired a student visa for a university in Telangana.
However, she never enrolled in the institution and has remained in India illegally since her visa expired in 2022.
Authorities also disclosed that they have credible leads on her boyfriend in Delhi, who is believed to be connected to the drug network and is currently on the run.
Akinwunmi has been transferred to the jurisdictional Chikkajala Police Station for further investigation.
Police said she will remain in custody while efforts to apprehend her accomplices continue.
Her arrest comes just two days after another Nigerian national, Emmanuel Bediako, was detained by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau in a separate drug-related case.
