Authorities in India have arrested a Nigerian national, Ezeonyili Franklin Uchenna, also known as Kaleshi, who had been on the run for over a year for drug-related offenses.
According to a report by *The Times of India*, the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau apprehended Uchenna in Ibrahimbagh following a tip-off about his arrival from Bengaluru. He was found with 17 grams of MDMA concealed in his pocket, despite initially denying possession.
During interrogation, officials recovered a pen drive from the suspect containing a list of 411 Africans and digital records of drug transactions worth Rs 9.50 crore. UPI payment data and other evidence linked Uchenna to a larger drug syndicate.
Investigators believe he was recruited in 2022 by Divine Ebuka Suzee and his girlfriend, Uche Happiness, to collect drugs from various sources, including one Joana Gomes (alias Blessing), who was earlier arrested. Uchenna reportedly fled to Bengaluru after Gomes’ arrest and continued his drug operations from there.
The bureau said his arrest followed leads provided by previously arrested suspects Ugwu Ikechukwu and Chukwu Ogbonna. Uchenna has four pending criminal cases, including one in Bengaluru.
In December 2024, recalled that three Nigerians arrested in Delhi for allegedly defrauding an Indian woman of Rs 2.62 lakh.
