According to police sources, Giwa was found unconscious near Santacruz railway station on the night of June 28 by a police patrol and was taken to Cooper Hospital. However, his condition worsened during the night and he died the next morning, said sources. When Giwa's body was opened up for an autopsy, several small capsules were found in his abdominal cavity, one of which had burst open, the police said. These capsules were covered with tape and were four centimetres in length and a centimetre in diameter.

The capsules had a white powder in them, possibly heroin, which could have killed Giwa, say the police. In all, 35 capsules were recovered from his abdomen and intestines, and they have been sent to the government laboratory for chemical analysis, the police said.According to Appasaheb Kore, senior inspector, Santacruz police station, the police was unable to trace any relative of Giwa in the city. They then contacted the High Commission in New Delhi for necessary formalities. The Nigerian had a visitor status in India and his passport showed that he had been to several countries in the past few years, added Kore. The officer said Giwa could have either been smuggling these drugs to another country or he could have been an addict himself.

However, S S Kemkar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (anti narcotics cell), said the Nigerian must have definitely been trying to smuggle out the drugs to other countries. Normally, Customs and other agencies at the airport keep tabs on passengers who try to smuggle in drugs by concealing them in their bodies. Those under suspicion are subjected to an X-Ray and then even a body search, added Kemkar.