A Colombian fugitive, implicated in the deaths of two schoolgirls through poisoned chocolate raspberries, was apprehended by the Chiswick RNLI team after managing to dodge an extensive international police search for several months.

Zulma Guzman Castro stands accused of the murder of 14-year-old Ines de Bedout and her friend, 13-year-old Emilia Forero. The two young girls tragically passed away in a Bogota hospital days after consuming the tainted fruit on April 3 of last year.

The 54-year-old entrepreneur managed to elude Interpol as well as authorities in Brazil and Spain after departing Colombia on April 13. Her unexpected discovery in the UK occurred on December 16.

Castro was pulled from the frigid waters of the River Thames, near Battersea Bridge in West London, by members of the Chiswick branch of the RNLI.

“You might outrun Interpol but you’ll never outpace Chiswick lifeboat,” remarked James Anthony, the lifeboat commander who rescued Castro from the Thames, in a blog post for The Chiswick Calendar website.

Mr. Anthony recounted how his team, which includes a former postman, an ex-soldier, and a retired businessman, was initially perplexed by Castro’s reluctance to be saved. It wasn’t until the next day, after they had handed her over to emergency services, that they learned of her true identity.

‘Recovering the person on to a boat on a tidal river requires prior practice and isn’t for the faint-hearted. While we don’t expect hugs and kisses whenever someone is rescued from the Thames, it was quite odd that she seemed so determined not to be assisted,’ Mr Anthony said.

‘After the usual casualty care, bandages, kind words and warm blanket were administered, the female was handed over to the care of London Ambulance at a pier in Chelsea. 

Zulma Guzman Castro is accused of killing Ines de Bedout, 14, and her close friend, Emilia Forero, 13, after they died in hospital days after eating the poisoned sweet treat in Colombia on April 3 

Ines de Bedout (left) and Emilia Forero died days after they were poisoned by the raspberries

Castro was rescued from the icy River Thames, near Battersea Bridge, west London, by the RNLI’s Chiswick branch. Pictured: Commander James Anthony

‘Job done, slaps on the back and back to Chiswick Pier for a cup of tea. It was only on the following day after a police officer friend had forwarded a newspaper link that we discovered that the casualty, from Colombia, was the subject of an international manhunt in connection with murder.’

Mr Anthony says his crews never know what situation they will encounter, but on this occasion it was Castro.

‘And so it was, with hundreds of hours of practice and experience behind them, that an ex-journalist, former postman, ex-soldier and a retired business mogul were able to recover a lady who was quite anxious not to be recovered,’ he said.

RNLI boats from the Met Police and London Fire Brigade were also dispatched to rescue Castro. 

“The lifeboat crew’s searchlight picked out a small splashing about 25 metres ahead of us,” Mr Anthony said. “Almost like a small bird trying to fly out of the water, or an otter coursing its way through the river. Except, of course, it was neither, it was a pair of arms. Flailing in the icy Thames.” 

Castro has been held in a psychiatric unit since she jumped into the Thames but was last week arrested by the National Crime Agency. Later that day, she appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court for an extradition hearing.

The former Colombian Dragons’ Dens star is alleged to have killed the two girls in an ‘act of vengeance’ after a secret six-year affair with Ines’s father, Juan de Bedout, which started in 2014 and came to an end shortly before his wife’s death.

An National Crime Agency spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Zulma Guzman Castro, aged 54, has today [January 6] been arrested by officers from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit. Castro, who is wanted by the Colombian authorities in relation to murder and attempted murder, was arrested in the W10 area of London. 

‘She is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court this afternoon (6 January 2026).’

Last month, it emerged that Castro had reportedly given her location away after drinking Buxton water during a TV interview. The alleged double killer was spotted drinking from the British water brand during an interview with Colombian TV, where she broke her silence to deny the allegations.

A source said: ‘The bottle of water she drank from was Buxton Natural Mineral Water, a product mainly commercialised in the UK.

‘The size of the bottle she was drinking are sold in street shops, which would indicate Guzman is in an apartment or house and not in a hotel.’

An Interpol Red Notice to find Castro was issued last month, with authorities warning the fugitive had visited Brazil, Spain and the UK since leaving Colombia. 

It’s understood Castro came to Britain on November 11 and the National Crime Agency were actively hunting for her.

She said in a message while on the run: ‘I find myself in the middle of a very serious situation…where I’m being accused of having been the person who sent a poison that killed two girls.

The former Colombian Dragons’ Den star had a relationship with Ines’s father, Juan de Bedout (pictured), between 2014 and 2020

Zulma Guzman Castro drinks from a bottle of Buxton mineral water during an interview, which may have given away her location in the UK

‘They accuse me of having fled to Argentina, and then to Brazil, Spain and the UK. Those who know me know I haven’t fled anywhere. They know I’ve been working in Argentina and began a masters in journalism here.

‘I went to Spain more than a month ago, with a stopover in Brazil, and then to the UK because of my son.

‘I imagine they’re accusing me because I had a secret relationship with the father of one of the girls.’

Castro denies the killings and claimed in an interview: ‘I was Juan de Bedout’s lover for so many years, and I think I’m practically very easy to implicate in that.’ 

Colombian media report that police are also investigating whether Castro was involved in the death of Mr de Bedout’s late wife, who doctors believe was poisoned with thallium twice before she died of cancer in August 2021.