BHOPAL: A series of investigations into alleged drug trafficking involving African nationals in Madhya Pradesh has brought to light a parallel concern for enforcement agencies — many of those arrested or detained have allegedly been found staying in India without valid visas or proper travel documents.
The cases, involving nationals particularly from West African nations, especially Nigeria, have raised questions about how foreign nationals whose visas have expired or who lack valid immigration documents have continued to stay in the country.
In the latest instance, three Nigerian women were detained from an S5 coach of a Mumbai-bound train at Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati railway station in October.
Although no narcotic drugs were recovered from their possession, subsequent questioning by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials reportedly revealed serious discrepancies in their immigration status.
Sources familiar with the investigation informed that the eldest of the three women had allegedly been staying in India without a valid visa since 2018. They also added that the other two Nigerians do not possess even a single valid travel document
The trio, identified as Adetokunbo Adunni, Kela Christine and Nikechi Princess, was initially taken to the TT Nagar police station and subsequently shifted to Talaiya police station, which houses a detention facility for foreign nationals found to be staying illegally in India.
In another case, a young Ghanaian woman arrested recently by the DRI following the seizure of cocaine worth approximately Rs 3 crore has also allegedly been found to have been staying in India illegally. Her visa had reportedly expired around a year before her arrest.
A third case involving a 30-year-old Senegalese national has added another dimension to the investigation. The man, who had entered India from Nepal, was detained by the DRI a few days ago. Although he possessed a valid passport, he reportedly did not have a valid Indian visa.
"No narcotic substances were recovered from his possession. The DRI is investigating the circumstances of his entry into India through Nepal, and why he was travelling without valid immigration authorisation," sources said.
The emerging pattern has prompted enforcement agencies to examine the travel and immigration histories of African nationals, particularly those from West African countries, who have been arrested with narcotics or detained on suspicion of acting as drug couriers.
Investigations suggest that some suspected drug couriers use long-distance trains and inter-state buses passing through Madhya Pradesh to travel to major urban centres in western and southern India, including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
A recurring feature in several of these cases has been the absence of clear, verifiable travel documents.
Sources said some foreign nationals have failed to produce physical copies of their passports and visas, instead displaying documents stored on their mobile phones.
In certain instances, the digital copies were reportedly unclear or difficult for investigators to authenticate, raising questions about their identity and immigration status.
Another common thread emerging from the investigations is the nature of visas on which some of these foreign nationals initially entered India. Several reportedly arrived on medical or student visas but continued staying in the country even after their authorised periods of stay had expired.
The issue had also surfaced during an August operation in which the DRI arrested four Nigerian nationals from Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and subsequently apprehended a suspected female associate from a Bengaluru-bound long-distance train at Bhopal Junction.
The operation led to the seizure of 8.6 kg of methamphetamine, a powerful synthetic stimulant, valued at approximately Rs 7.1 crore.
According to sources, the four Nigerian men arrested in Greater Noida were suspected of supplying the synthetic drug consignment. Several of them allegedly failed to produce clear and verifiable travel documents during the operation.
The arrests followed a dramatic chase.
On noticing the arrival of DRI officers, the suspected traffickers allegedly attempted to escape by jumping out of a flat's window. However, officers of the DRI and the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) pursued them on foot and managed to apprehend them.
The subsequent arrest of their suspected female associate from a train at Bhopal Junction highlighted how Madhya Pradesh's railway network is emerging as an important focus of investigations into suspected inter-state narcotics supply chains.
