Indian agencies scored a major breakthrough in their fight against international drug trafficking after bringing back Mohammad Salim Dola, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, to India. The operation was carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which had been tracking the fugitive drug trafficker for several years.
Dola, who had been on the radar of multiple law enforcement agencies, was detained in Istanbul on April 26 and later deported to India on Tuesday. Officials confirmed that he was taken into custody immediately after landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Investigators say the return of Dola to India was not a routine deportation but the result of careful international coordination. Since India does not have a direct extradition treaty with Turkiye, Indian authorities worked closely with officials in the UAE and Turkiye to facilitate his transfer. The process moved faster after it was discovered that Dola had been travelling using a forged UAE passport in an attempt to evade authorities.
A crucial role in locating him was played by an Interpol Red Notice issued at India’s request in March 2024. Intelligence gathered after the deportation of his son, Taher Dola, in 2025 also helped investigators trace his hideout in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district.
Sources familiar with the investigation say Turkish intelligence and local police carried out the arrest during a coordinated operation targeting an international synthetic drug trafficking network believed to have links with the Indian underworld.
Dola, now 59, had allegedly been operating from abroad for nearly a decade after leaving India. Originally from the Dongri area of Mumbai, he is believed to have built a sprawling narcotics network stretching across West Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Investigators say his role largely involved acting as a bulk supplier, sending large quantities of drugs to distribution networks inside India.
Over the years, his name surfaced in connection with several major drug seizures in states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat. Authorities believe his syndicate dealt in multiple narcotics, including heroin, charas, mephedrone, mandrax and methamphetamine.
Intelligence agencies also suspect that Dola was closely linked to the international operations of the D-Company, the criminal network run by Dawood Ibrahim. His role reportedly involved managing overseas narcotics supply chains and coordinating shipments destined for India.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the coordinated effort of intelligence and anti-narcotics agencies after the successful deportation. In a statement, he said the government remains committed to a zero-tolerance policy against drug syndicates and warned that traffickers hiding abroad would eventually face the law.
With Dola now in custody, investigators are expected to question him in detail about the operations of his drug network, his international contacts, and the financial channels used to move narcotics profits. Officials believe the interrogation could provide crucial insights into the broader network of drug traffickers linked to organized crime.
For Indian agencies battling the spread of synthetic drugs, the arrest is being seen as a significant step forward. Authorities hope that the information obtained from Dola could help dismantle several layers of the international narcotics trade connected to the Indian underworld.