A 29-year-old Nigerian woman has been arrested in India for allegedly smuggling cocaine concealed inside loaves of bread, police authorities in Bengaluru have said.
Operatives of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested the suspect, identified as Olajide Esther, on Tuesday while she was travelling in a private bus from Mumbai to Bengaluru. Following her arrest, officers recovered 121 grams of cocaine valued at approximately Rs 65 million.
According to the police, Esther allegedly cut open bread slices and concealed the cocaine inside them in an attempt to evade detection while transporting the drugs.
A senior CCB officer said the arrest followed credible intelligence, prompting a special surveillance operation on the suspect’s movements before she was intercepted upon arrival in Bengaluru.
During a search of her backpack, officers reportedly found the cocaine hidden in a loaf of bread packed alongside other food items, a tactic investigators said was intended to avoid suspicion.
Police alleged that the suspect was actively involved in drug trafficking and regularly supplied cocaine to customers in Bengaluru after procuring the drugs from Mumbai and transporting them through private buses.
Investigators further disclosed that Esther allegedly received the cocaine from a male associate in Mumbai and was instructed to personally deliver it to another Nigerian national based in Bengaluru to minimise the risk of interception.
Based on information obtained from her statement, police said they later conducted a follow-up operation near Varthur, where the intended recipient of the drugs was arrested. Authorities confirmed that the suspect was subsequently deported.
Describing the case as another example of evolving drug trafficking tactics, a senior officer said traffickers increasingly use everyday household items and food products as cover for transporting illegal substances.
A case has been registered under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while investigations are ongoing to trace the wider drug supply network.
Police also revealed that Esther entered India on a student visa but failed to enrol in any educational institution, instead frequently changing locations across parts of Mumbai and its suburbs.
