A Nigerian national, Tochukwu Afame, has been arrested in India alongside an accomplice, Sunny Sharma, over alleged involvement in a drug trafficking operation that concealed cocaine inside blood pressure monitoring devices.
The arrest, which occurred on Saturday, followed an intelligence-led operation by Indian authorities targeting a suspected transnational drug network.
According to reports by local media, the suspects were linked to a syndicate believed to specialise in smuggling narcotics hidden within medical equipment to evade detection during transit.
Investigators disclosed that the illicit consignments were packaged inside blood pressure machine boxes and transported through courier services from Delhi to Raipur and other cities without raising suspicion.
Police sources said the concealment strategy was deliberately designed to bypass routine security checks.
The breakthrough in the case reportedly came after the arrest of another suspect on March 19 near a private hospital in Raipur, where 4.55 grams of cocaine was recovered. Further investigations led operatives to uncover a wider network operating across multiple locations.
Subsequent raids in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area resulted in the arrest of Afame and Sharma, with authorities alleging that both men played key roles in the logistics and distribution of the drugs.
During interrogation, the suspects were said to have admitted involvement in the operation, which investigators believe is part of an international trafficking ring with links outside India.
Law enforcement officials also revealed that financial probes uncovered the use of bank accounts to facilitate illicit transactions, with one of the suspects allegedly allowing his account to be used in exchange for commissions.
Items recovered during the operation included large sums of cash, mobile phones and other materials suspected to be connected to the illegal trade.
Afame was further reported to have had prior legal issues in India relating to immigration violations.
Authorities noted that the operation forms part of a broader crackdown on drug trafficking networks, adding that investigations are ongoing, with more arrests expected as efforts intensify to dismantle the syndicate.
