Mohammad Salim Dola, a close aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and a notorious drug trafficker, was brought to Mumbai by a team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday evening, a day after a Delhi court granted transit remand to the agency.
Arrival at Mumbai airport amid tight security
After landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Dola was escorted out of Terminal 2 amid a heavy presence of police personnel and media, and taken to the NCB office in South Mumbai, an official said.
He will be produced before a court on Thursday.
Arrest in Turkiye following Interpol Red Notice
Dola (59) was arrested in Turkiye on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued on India’s request in March 2024. He was wanted in multiple narcotics trafficking cases in India and had been absconding from law enforcement agencies.
He was brought to Delhi on Tuesday. A court in the national capital granted his two-day transit remand to the NCB to take him to Mumbai.
Long criminal history across states
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, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.
Links to major drug seizure cases
Dola is also wanted in several cases, including the Rs 252 crore mephedrone seizure case, in which Mumbai Police busted a drug supply ring by raiding a manufacturing unit in Sangli district of western Maharashtra.
A Red Corner Notice had also been issued against him during the probe into the case.
Family members also linked to syndicate
Earlier, Dola’s son, Tahir Salim Dola, along with other syndicate members such as Mustafa Mohammed Kubbawala and Mohammed Salim Mohammed Suhail, alias Lavish Shaikh, were taken into custody by Mumbai Police last year after being deported from the UAE, according to police officials.
Origins and alleged operations
Originally from Dongri in South Mumbai, Dola was actively involved in drug manufacturing and supply chains. He is believed to have operated and expanded mephedrone distribution networks across various parts of the country while based abroad, an official said.
In his early days, he was engaged in the catering business, he added.
Family based in Dubai
According to officials, Dola’s wife and daughter currently reside in Dubai.
Likely handover to Mumbai Police
After the NCB obtained his custody in the case, Dola is likely to be handed over to the Mumbai Police for further investigation, the official added.
(With PTI inputs)
