A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, faces up to 20 years in prison in India after being caught with illicit drugs valued at over ₦1.8 billion.
She was arrested last Tuesday in Bengaluru by the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch. Authorities found 5.325 kg of MDMA crystals concealed inside 11 churidars in a bag she was carrying from Delhi to Tarahunase village on Rajanukunte Main Road.
An officer noted: “She is a courier…” (Editorial note: A second, unrelated quote—“the trailer that was sent to kill him upon hitting him fell flat and got extremely dented”—appears to have been mistakenly included and should be disregarded.)
Akinwunmi claims she travelled to India to set up a beauty salon. Under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, possession of commercial quantities of banned substances carries a mandatory prison sentence ranging from 10 to 20 years, along with substantial fines.
She may also face charges under India’s Foreigners Act.
Her arrest comes just two days after another Nigerian national, Emmanuel Bediako (also known as Maxwell), was detained in Telangana.