MANGALURU: In a major drug haul, CCB sleuths of Mangaluru City police have arrested two South African women in Bengaluru and seized nearly 38kg MDMA worth Rs 75 crore, capping a six-month surveillance of the suspects, who reportedly flew between Bengaluru and New Delhi 59 times in six months to deliver the banned substances.

Police identified the arrested duo as Bamba Fanta alias Adonis Jabulile, 31, from Agbovillae South Africa, and currently residing in Vipin Garden, New Delhi; and Abigail Adonis alias Olijo Evans, 30, from Pretoria, residing in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.
Fanta reportedly arrived in India in 2020 on business visa and was running a food cart, while Adonis came in 2016 on medical visa and was engaged in garment business.
CM: Police averted threat to youngsters
Mangaluru City police commissioner Anupam Agrawal told reporters Sunday that police seized four mobile phones, two trolley bags, two passports and Rs 18,460 in cash from the arrested duo, who were reportedly operating for one and a half years.
The accused were allegedly transporting MDMA in crystal form for largescale distribution and were arrested near Neeladri Nagar, Electronic City, Bengaluru.
Commending Mangaluru police for the record haul, CM Siddaramaiah said on X that police “averted a massive threat” that could have destroyed the lives of thousands of young people.
The operation was part of a six-month investigation led by CCB ACP Manoj Kumar, following the arrest of a person, Hyder Ali, at Pumpwell by Mangaluru East police, where 15gm MDMA was seized.
Subsequently, CCB took over the investigation and traced the supply chain to Bengaluru and arrested Nigerian national Peter Ikedi Belonwu with 6.2kg MDMA. Investigations suggested South African women were smuggling MDMA via air routes from Delhi to Bengaluru and Mumbai, prompting continuous tracking.
On March 13, based on specific intelligence, the Mangaluru CCB team rushed to Bengaluru and tracked the movement of the two accused women. The next day, the women were under surveillance.
After closely tracking them for 5-6 hours in an attempt to shed light on their alleged accomplices, the duo was arrested at Neeladri Nagar, Bengaluru, on March 14.Preliminary investigations said the duo was supplying MDMA in Nelamangala, Hosakote, and KR Pu ram, and was leading a lavish lifestyle.
The accused used fake passports and visas and would often return to Delhi within 24 hours after deliveries.The source of MDMA –whether procured within India or trafficked from outside -is still under investigation, the commissioner pointed out. Police will now coordinate with Narcotics Control Bureau for further investigations.
The CM’s post on X said, “From the very first day we came to power, we took a pledge to build a drug-free society and declared a war against drug trafficking and consumption. A few months ago, during my visit to Mangaluru, I assured the people of the district that we would curb the menace of drugs and ensure a healthy environment. Our govt is determined to uproot the drug network spread across the state.”