Indian police have arrested a 29-year-old Nigerian national posing as a student for allegedly trafficking cocaine concealed inside bread loaves.
Operatives of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) apprehended the suspect after recovering 121 grams of cocaine, valued at about ₹1.2 crore, hidden inside hollowed bread loaves packed among food items in her backpack.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, the suspect was identified as Olajide Esther Iyanuoluwa, who entered India last year on a student visa but was never enrolled in any educational institution.
Investigations revealed that Olajide frequently changed residences across parts of Mumbai and its suburbs, including Ghatkopar (Gala Nagar), Ambawadi, and Nallasopara, while allegedly operating as a drug courier.
Senior police officers disclosed that she sourced the cocaine from a male associate in Mumbai and was instructed to personally deliver it to another Nigerian national based in Bengaluru.
“She was told to hand-deliver the consignment to avoid suspicion and reduce the risk of interception through courier services,” an investigating officer said.
The CCB swung into action following intelligence that a Nigerian woman was travelling by private bus from Mumbai to Bengaluru and planned to meet a drug peddler near Varthur.
Officers intercepted and detained her shortly after her arrival.
A search of her belongings led to the discovery of cocaine concealed inside bread loaves that had been deliberately drilled to create compartments for the drugs.
Acting on information obtained from Olajide’s statement, police later arrested the intended recipient of the drugs near Varthur. Authorities confirmed that the Nigerian buyer was deported shortly after his arrest.
Describing the case as another example of evolving drug-smuggling tactics, a senior officer said traffickers increasingly use everyday food items and household materials to evade detection.
Police said surveillance on interstate drug trafficking networks has been intensified, while investigations continue to trace the wider supply chain and identify other accomplices involved in the operation.
