On July 4, 2006 when Ayinke was at the city’s international airport to catch an Ethiopian Airlines fight to Addis Ababa with her infant daughter, AIU officials found her movements suspicious after seeing “an abnormal image” of the black bag that she had checked in. When the bag was examined, the officials found 5 kg of cream-coloured powder inside bedsheets. When tested, the powder turned out to be heroin.

According to her statement to the AIU, Ayinke—a dealer in wholesale garments—said she had come to visit her sister in Delhi in June 2006 and flew down to Mumbai. Ayinke said that she met a woman, Maruffachu, who claimed to be her sister’s friend and asked her to carry a bag to Addis Ababa and hand it over to some Adiadu.

The defence lawyers, Rati Amrolia and Yasmeen Katpitia, argued that Ayinke was not aware of the contents of the bag.

Special Public Prosecutor Azhar Khan examined 12 witnesses to build the case against Ayinke and argued that this Maruffachu didn’t exist and the defence had provided no details about her.

After being acquitted of all charges by Special Judge P N Deshmukh, Ayinke said, “Sheia is too young to understand the implications of the decisions today. I’ve told her that we are free. She is really excited. I think at some level she understands.”

Sheia just parrots what her mother has told her— “Main chhoot gaya (I am free)”. Running up and down the stairs, she sings ‘Ganapati Bappa Moriya’. The two-year-old only speaks in Hindi and Marathi and has spent over one-and-a-half years in Byculla jail or outside courtroom number 45 where her mother was being tried.

Sheia is even familiar with the constables—who change everyday—defence lawyers, tea vendors, reporters and other undertrials. “We’ll really miss her. She is adorable. Please give me a picture of her,” said Prashant Rane, one of the defence lawyers.