Mumbai: In a major breakthrough for Indian intelligence agencies, alleged drug mafia operative Salim Dola, believed to be an associate of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been deported from Turkey to India following a coordinated international operation.
Confidential operation
Dola was flown into Delhi early Tuesday morning on a special aircraft after being detained in Istanbul based on inputs shared by Indian agencies with foreign authorities. The entire deportation process was kept highly confidential due to security concerns.
He is currently being questioned by intelligence officials at the airport, and after initial interrogation, he is likely to be handed over to the Mumbai Police, which has been probing multiple criminal cases against him.
Key player in international drug syndicate with D-Company links
Investigators suspect that Dola was a key player in an international drug trafficking syndicate with operations spanning India, Dubai and other countries. His name has reportedly surfaced in connection with a global synthetic drug racket.
Agencies believe the network has links with D-Company, further strengthening suspicions of a nexus between drug cartels and organised crime groups. Dola was earlier active in Mumbai’s Dongri area before allegedly shifting his base to Dubai, from where he is believed to have managed a significant drug supply chain targeting India. Officials also claim he used a Saudi Arabian passport to facilitate international travel.
Close aide extradited from Dubai in Oct 2025
Indian agencies had been tightening their grip on Dola’s network in recent months. In October 2025, the Mumbai Crime Branch secured the extradition of his close aide Mohammad Salim Sohel Sheikh from Dubai. Subsequently, in November 2025, four of his family members, including his son Tahir Dola, were also brought to India after being arrested in Dubai.
These operations helped investigators close in on Dola’s whereabouts, eventually leading to his arrest in Turkey.
The Narcotics Control Bureau had earlier announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to his capture, while an Interpol Red Corner Notice was also issued against him, intensifying the global manhunt.
Custodial interrogation may expose drug-crime links with Dawood
Security agencies believe that Dola’s custodial interrogation could provide crucial leads into international drug trafficking routes and expose deeper links between narcotics syndicates and organised crime networks linked to Dawood Ibrahim. Further investigation is underway.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that in line with Modi Government’s policy of 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.
'No place safe for drug kingpins now,' says Shah on X
In a post on X platform, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri 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 successful return of Salim Dola, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, reflects the firm resolve of Government to bring all narcotics fugitives and members of organised crime syndicates to justice, by pursuing them relentlessly across the globe.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in close coordination with international and Indian intelligence agencies, has secured the return of wanted drug trafficker Mohammed Salim Dola from Türkiye, under ‘Operation Global-Hunt’. He was taken into custody on his arrival at IGI Airport, New Delhi, early this morning by NCB.
Salim Dola (59 yrs from Mumbai) a subject of INTERPOL Red Notice issued at India’s request in March, 2024 was wanted for prosecution in multiple narcotics trafficking cases in India and had been absconding from Indian law enforcement 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. His two-decade long criminal antecedents include direct involvement in cases involving multiple high-value seizures of Heroin, Charas, Mephedrone, Mandrax and Methamphetamine in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Dola’s role consistently emerged as that of a bulk supplier to downstream distribution networks in India. Besides, he is also wanted by ATS Gujarat and the Mumbai Police. Earlier, his son Tahil Salim Dola and other associates were arrested by Mumbai police after deportation/extradition from the UAE in 2025. This effort exemplifies close cooperation and coordinated action between the authorities in Türkiye, INTERPOL and Indian agencies.
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