Dawood aide Salim Dola deported to India after arrest in Turkey

New Delhi- Notorious drug trafficker Salim Dola, a close associate of underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, has been deported to India from Turkey and taken into custody by central agencies, officials said on Tuesday.

The 59-year-old was detained over the weekend by Turkish intelligence authorities along with local police in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu area following inputs shared by Indian agencies. He was flown to India early Tuesday morning and taken directly from the airport for questioning.

Officials said the deportation was facilitated by the Central Bureau of Investigation after Interpol had issued a Red Corner Notice against him. Multiple agencies, including the Mumbai Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau, had been seeking his custody in connection with several drug trafficking cases.

Investigators believe Dola played a key role in running an international narcotics network linked to Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate. He is suspected to have expanded operations into the production of synthetic drugs such as mephedrone through illegal laboratories across different parts of India.

Originally from Mumbai’s Dongri area, Dola had a long criminal history dating back to the 1990s. He had previously been arrested in multiple cases by agencies including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence but had reportedly fled the country after securing bail in 2018.

Officials said his network had been under surveillance for months, particularly after his alleged links surfaced in a major 2024 drug seizure case involving over 100 kg of banned substances. The supply chain in that case reportedly extended from Maharashtra to international locations including Turkey and Dubai.

Sources indicated that Dola may be handed over to either the Mumbai Police or the Narcotics Control Bureau for further investigation, as both have pending cases against him.

Authorities are expected to question him in detail to uncover the extent of his network and identify other operatives linked to the syndicate.