Olajide Iyanuoluwa, a 29-year-old Nigerian studying in India, has been arrested by operatives of the Indian Police for allegedly trafficking cocaine concealed inside bread loaves to avoid detection.
Iyanuoluwa was apprehended by officers attached to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) after she was found in possession of 121 grams of cocaine during a search by law enforcement operatives.
According to the police, the drugs, valued at about ₹1.2 crore, were reportedly hidden inside bread loaves packed with other food items in her backpack.
“She was directed to carry the drug herself and hand it over to another Nigerian national residing in Bengaluru. This was done to reduce suspicion and avoid interception through courier services. Holes had been made in the bread loaves to conceal the cocaine,” ,” said a senior officer.
The arrest followed a tip-off received by the CCB that a Nigerian woman was travelling by private bus from Mumbai to Bengaluru to deliver drugs.
Iyanuoluwa allegedly collected the cocaine from a male associate in Mumbai and was instructed to personally deliver it to another Nigerian national in Bengaluru.
She was apprehended shortly after arriving in Bengaluru, near the Varthur area, after police tracked her movements to the location where she was allegedly to deliver the illicit substances.
Following her confession, police carried out a follow-up operation near Varthur and arrested the intended recipient of the drugs, who has since been deported.
Investigators revealed that Olajide entered India last year on a student visa but was never enrolled in any school. Instead, police said she moved around different parts of Mumbai and its suburbs and became involved in drug trafficking.
