A Colombian businesswoman accused of killing two schoolgirls with thallium-laced chocolate-covered raspberries has been detained in London after being rescued from the River Thames near Battersea Bridge, according to British and Colombian reports.

Zulma Guzmán Castro, who is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice requested by Colombian authorities, was pulled from the water on Tuesday morning after emergency services received a report of a woman in distress. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson, quoted by Spanish newspaper El País, said officers received a call at 06:45 and that the Met’s Marine Policing Unit “rescued a woman of about 50 years old from the water at 07:14 hours” before she was taken to hospital, where her injuries were assessed as not life-threatening or life-changing.

The case centres on the deaths of two pupils at Colegio Los Nogales in Bogotá, identified by Colombian media as Emilia Forero, 13, and Inés de Bedout, 14. Colombia’s state broadcaster Radio Nacional reported that prosecutors allege the teenagers died after consuming raspberries coated in chocolate that had been delivered to a home where several young people had gathered during the first week of April 2025. The same report said a third minor and a 21-year-old man, described as the brother of one of the victims, were also poisoned but survived after being taken to hospital.

According to the Colombian reporting, the group fell ill after eating the raspberries during a social visit, and the victims were later treated at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. Radio Nacional said forensic analysis confirmed the presence of thallium, describing it as a highly toxic heavy metal, and concluded the substance had been deliberately applied to the fruit.

Thallium is a poisonous element historically used in some rodenticides and industrial processes. Exposure can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and, depending on the dose, can affect the nervous system and other organs. Colombian reporting has described the alleged method as a targeted contamination of individual berries rather than a broader food-chain incident, with investigators focusing on the origin of the delivery and the chain of custody from purchase to doorstep.

British outlet LBC, reporting the same day as the Facebook post circulating the story, said Guzmán Castro was “pulled from the river close to Battersea Bridge” in what it described as a dramatic rescue operation. LBC reported that she is alleged to have spiked the fruit with thallium, calling it “a colourless and odourless heavy metal”, and said she denies the killings.

The allegations in Colombia have been widely reported as linked to a personal relationship with the family of one of the victims. LBC said Colombian reports framed the alleged poisoning as an “act of vengeance” connected to a secret affair with the father of one of the girls.

El Colombiano, one of Colombia’s major newspapers, reported that the man at the centre of that strand of the investigation is Juan de Bedout Vargas. It said he has described his past involvement with Guzmán Castro in media interviews as “un enredo”, and that investigators have examined messages and other material as part of the case. In one passage, El Colombiano reported that when de Bedout began a new relationship in 2024, Guzmán Castro allegedly sent him a text message saying: “En serio, con cualquier gurre, pero yo no. Qué tamaño de imbécil”.

Prosecutors in Colombia have also focused on how the raspberries were purchased and delivered. El Colombiano reported that the Fiscalía concluded, based on evidence including testimony and video records, that Guzmán Castro allegedly bought the raspberries online on 25 March 2025 and sent them days later.

El País reported that Colombian prosecutors traced the delivery to the home where the teenagers had met on Friday 4 April, and that investigators identified the courier who brought the package. The paper said the delivery was linked, via the courier’s account, to an office associated with a tarot reader in an upmarket part of Bogotá, though the report said the nature of any connection between that address and Guzmán Castro was unclear.

In the days after the poisoning, Colombian outlets reported a fast-moving investigation that combined medical findings, digital purchase records and witness statements. Radio Nacional said one of the teenagers died on 5 April and the other on 9 April, dates that reflect the seriousness and complexity of thallium intoxication, which can produce a delayed deterioration even after initial hospitalisation.

The detention in London adds an international legal dimension to a case that has already drawn intense public attention in Colombia, in part because of the age of the victims and the unusual delivery method. El País said the arrest came roughly two weeks after Colombian prosecutors issued an arrest warrant and processed an Interpol Red Notice to locate the suspect. The paper reported that Guzmán Castro is expected to face an extradition hearing in the UK.

El Colombiano similarly reported that, if her medical condition allows, Guzmán Castro would be placed in custody to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in proceedings expected to include an extradition hearing.

LBC reported that an Interpol Red Notice had been issued earlier this month and said it included information suggesting she had visited Brazil, Spain and the UK after leaving Colombia. In the same report, LBC said it was understood she arrived in Britain on 11 November, though UK authorities have not publicly confirmed travel details in the reporting available.

The immediate circumstances of how Guzmán Castro came to be in the Thames have not been formally explained by police in public statements cited in the reports, beyond the description of a woman in distress and a rescue from the water. The Metropolitan Police statement quoted by El País did not characterise the incident as accidental or intentional, and there has been no publicly reported UK charge linked to the river rescue itself.

The underlying Colombian case, however, is expected to be the central issue for British courts if extradition proceedings move forward. In Colombia, the investigation has been framed around alleged premeditation, the selection of a highly toxic substance, and the targeting of a specific home via a delivered item. Guzmán Castro has denied involvement, according to UK reporting, and the case remains subject to legal process in both jurisdictions.