Pius was arrested from outside a prominent five-star hotel in Mumbai's Juhu area based on a tip-off received during the interrogation of another suspect.
A Nigerian man, Ifeanyichukwu Pius, who swallowed 12 pellets of cocaine when he was arrested by the officials of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai, India, has purged the drugs at a hospital on Monday.
Pius was arrested from outside a prominent five-star hotel in Mumbai's Juhu area based on a tip-off received during the interrogation of another suspect.
According to a report in Free Press Journal, Pius swallowed the capsules containing 12 grammes of cocaine he had kept in his mouth as NCB officials started frisking him.
He was rushed to the JJ hospital where a CT scan and X-ray was conducted to confirm the presence of the contraband.
Doctors at the JJ Hospital initiated the process of purging the pellets without wasting time since the bursting of contraband could prove fatal for Pius.
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Officials with the NCB had to stand guard for the five days it took doctors to retrieve 12 capsules or pellets containing a gramme of cocaine each from Pius’ body.
In a statement issued by the NCB Zonal Director, Samee Wankhede, on Monday, he said further investigations were ongoing to nab Pius' associates and suppliers.
It read, “This is the first kind of case where a peddler is carrying drugs in his mouth and distributing them.
“He was roaming around a five-star hotel at Juhu for the delivery of cocaine as per an input received by us. When the NCB team approached the Nigerian national to nab him with contraband, the peddler swallowed the cocaine pellets.
"The said cocaine was concealed in plastic pellets weighing approximately 1 gramme each. The team immediately nabbed the peddler and took him for X-ray and CT Scan at Sir JJ Hospital. The medical examination confirmed the existence of such pellets in his abdominal area. Immediately, he was placed under medical supervision and he subsequently purged 12 capsules/pallets. He was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
"Further investigation is in progress to identify other associates and suppliers of Pius."