Narcotics bureau apprehends Nigerian woman at Panvel railway station

The Bengaluru unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has apprehended a Nigerian woman at Panvel in Maharashtra’s Raigad district and seized narcotics from her, an official said.

The woman was caught at the Panvel railway station on Friday based on intelligence inputs.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) of the Government Railway Police GRP, Pradnya Jedge, said, “The NCB officials from Bengaluru had received a tip-off that a Nigerian national was travelling from Faridabad (in Haryana) to Panvel with a consignment of drugs. Acting on this information, they tracked her movement and apprehended her at Panvel railway station today.” The accused will be produced before a local magistrate for a transit remand for further legal action in Bengaluru, she said.

When asked about the nature and quantity of the seized contraband, DCP Jedge said, “As legal formalities are still going on, the precise details of the quantity of drugs and related documentation will be disclosed once the procedure is completed.” Sources, however, said around 3.5 kg of narcotics has been recovered from the accused, with an estimated value of Rs 35 crore in the international market.