A 41-year-old Nigerian woman died after allegedly jumping from the balcony of a fourth-floor apartment during a police raid on a suspected methamphetamine manufacturing unit in Delhi’s Burari area on Thursday.
The incident occurred during an operation conducted by Delhi Police’s Anti-Narcotics Squad as part of an ongoing investigation into a drug trafficking case. Officials said the woman, identified as Stella Pius, was residing in one of two flats occupied by foreign nationals in the building.
According to police, the investigation began with the arrest of a suspect named Frank Dashmond. Information obtained during questioning led officers to another African national, identified as Romeo, from whose residence authorities allegedly recovered small quantities of MDMA and heroin.
Further leads directed investigators to the Burari property. During the search operation, Stella Pius allegedly jumped from the balcony when police entered her apartment. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Police later searched a neighbouring flat occupied by another foreign national, Martin Aaron. Investigators said a key recovered from Aaron was used to open a locked room inside Stella’s apartment, where they allegedly discovered a clandestine drug manufacturing setup.
The room reportedly contained laboratory equipment, weighing machines, pipes, chemical containers, and large quantities of suspected narcotics and precursor substances. Authorities believe the premises were being used for both the production and storage of methamphetamine.
Among the items seized were approximately 100 liters of chemicals, 10 liters of hydrochloric acid, 15.5 liters of hypophosphorous acid, and significant quantities of suspected drug-making materials, including 35.5 kilograms of white powder, 21 kilograms of black granules, and over 4 kilograms of black liquid. Police also recovered 192 grams of MDMA from the site.
Investigators are now conducting forensic examinations of the seized substances and equipment while continuing to probe the suspected narcotics network. The exact circumstances surrounding the woman’s death are also under investigation.
