Cocaine and Meth Worth Rs 36 Crore Seized from Nigerian Woman Travelling on Mangala Express
Panvel, 18th July 2025: A major drug smuggling attempt was thwarted at Panvel Railway Station when authorities seized cocaine and methamphetamine valued at nearly ₹36 crore from a Nigerian national travelling with an infant on the Hazrat Nizamuddin–Ernakulam Mangala Express.
The seizure was the result of a coordinated operation between the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Panvel, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Bangalore, and the Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB) Kurla, Mumbai. The teams acted swiftly on intelligence inputs received from NCB Bangalore about suspected narcotics movement on Train No. 12618.
Upon the train’s arrival at Platform No. 7, the joint team boarded Coach A-2 and identified the suspect occupying Seat No. 27. The woman, who introduced herself as Etumudon Doris, a Nigerian passport holder (Passport No. A06895991), was travelling with a baby named “Miracle.”
When questioned in the presence of independent witnesses, Doris admitted to carrying narcotics. She was escorted to the RPF outpost at Panvel, where a thorough inspection of her belongings was carried out.
During the search, officials discovered two black rectangular packets branded “VINTAGE” in a multicoloured travel bag. These packets were confirmed to contain 2.002 kg of cocaine using a field test kit. Further examination of a red-and-blue Mickey Mouse-themed children’s bag inside her luggage led to the discovery of two more concealed packets. Labeled as “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes” and “Bongchi Perfect Roll,” these were found to contain 1.488 kg of methamphetamine.
The total quantity of drugs recovered in the operation was 3.49 kg, with an estimated international market value of ₹36 crore.
The narcotics were seized by Junior Intelligence Officer Murari Lal of NCB Bangalore. Doris has been named as the third accused in case number 21/2025/BZU. Legal proceedings are ongoing, overseen by the designated investigating officer.
Officials involved in the successful operation include:
Anjani Babar, Inspector, RPF Panvel
Prahlad Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector, RPF Panvel
Murari Lal and Madhusudhan Vishwakarma, Intelligence Officers, NCB Bangalore
Satish Kumar Yadav, Inspector, CIB Panvel
Naveen Singh, Sub-Inspector, CIB Kurla
Prahlad Patil, Jyoti Kushwah, and Dhirendra Yadav
Further investigation is underway to uncover the broader network involved in this international drug trafficking case.
