New Delhi: Mohammad Salim Dola, a close associate of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and one of the most wanted drug traffickers of India was brought back to the country on Tuesday after being arrested in Turkey. The operation, named ‘Operation Global-Hunt’, involved multiple agencies working together across borders to catch a man who had been hiding for over five years.
Dola, 59, a resident of Mumbai’s Dongri area, was arrested on April 25 in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district by Turkish police. He was deported to India and handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in the early hours of April 28.
In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that “Zero tolerance against Narco syndicate. The NCB today made a major breakthrough in securing the return of notorious drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkiye. Under Modi govt’s mission to ruthlessly smash drug cartels, our anti-narcotics agencies have extended their claws across borders through a robust network of global agencies. Now no matter where they hide, no place is safe for drug kingpins.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had requested INTERPOL to issue a Red Corner Notice against Dola in March 2024. Acting on inputs shared by Indian agencies, the Turkish Intelligence Agency, along with the Beylikduzu Police, moved in to arrest Dola at a residential location where he was hiding. The CBI played a central role in facilitating his extradition back to India.
Speaking on the development, NCB Deputy Director General Neeraj Kumar Gupta said that Dola’s return was made possible under India’s zero-tolerance drug policy and was the result of close coordination between Indian and international intelligence agencies.
“Over the years Dola had established a major transnational drug trafficking syndicate spanning a number of countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe .” The Ministry of Home Affairs said.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Dola had been on the radar of Indian agencies for many years. He reportedly ran a drug empire worth approximately Rs 5,000 crore, making him one of the biggest players in Dawood Ibrahim’s alleged drug network. Investigators say his criminal record spans over two decades and includes direct links to large seizures of heroin, charas, mephedrone, Mandrax, and methamphetamine across Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The NCB stated that Dola acted as a bulk supplier to drug distribution networks operating inside India. Investigators also believe that money earned from drug trafficking was used to fund activities harmful to India’s national security. His network had set up illegal drug manufacturing labs in several states.
The Mumbai Police had linked Dola to a 2024 case where about 126 kg of mephedrone was seized in Kurla, Mumbai, along with Rs 25.22 lakh in cash. Arrested individuals in that case had told police they were following his direct instructions. Investigators had traced the supply chain from Maharashtra all the way to Turkey and Dubai.
A Delhi court, after his arrival, granted the NCB two days of transit remand. Officials confirmed that Dola will likely be taken to Mumbai next, where several narcotics cases are already registered against him. Both the Mumbai Police and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) are also seeking his custody.
This arrest is part of a wider crackdown on Dola’s entire network. Earlier in 2025, his son Tahir Salim Dola was extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the CBI and arrested by Mumbai Police. Another close associate, Salim Mohammed Sohail Shaikh, was also deported from Dubai and arrested by Mumbai’s Anti-Narcotics Cell, The Ministry said.
Authorities believe that with Dola’s arrest and sustained pressure on his associates, the syndicate’s operations are gradually being broken down. Further interrogation by central and state agencies is expected to reveal more about his network, financial channels, and alleged links to terror-funding operations.
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