Nigerian Woman Arrested In India With N1.8bn Worth Of Ecstasy

A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, has been arrested in India for alleged drug trafficking after being found with 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals, also known as ecstasy, worth an estimated N1.8 billion.

Akinwunmi, who identified herself as a hairstylist and nail artist, was apprehended on Tuesday by the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Tarahunase village, along Rajanukunte Main Road in Bengaluru.

According to The New Indian Express, her arrest followed intelligence reports that she had arrived from Delhi carrying a suspicious bag intended for a group of African drug peddlers in the area.

“She is a courier. She came to deliver the drugs to a group of African peddlers. We noticed four men on two scooters nearby, but they didn’t collect the parcel,” an officer said. “Princess was arrested while standing with the bag.”

In addition to the drugs, the bag contained 11 new churidar outfits.

During questioning, Akinwunmi claimed she didn’t know what was in the bag, saying a friend in Delhi had asked her to deliver it to a man in a black hat. She told police she came to India with plans to open a beauty salon and described herself as the daughter of a Nigerian civil servant but refused to provide more personal details.

Authorities said she entered India on a business visa in October 2021, later switching to a student visa for a university in Telangana—which she never attended. Her visa expired in 2022, and she has remained in the country illegally since then.

Investigators also confirmed they are searching for her boyfriend in Delhi, who is currently on the run. Akinwunmi, also known as “Princess,” has been handed over to the Chikkajala police station for further investigation.