- By Nidhi Giri
- Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Salim Dola, a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim and a drug lord, has been deported to India. He was detained in Istanbul, Turkey. Indian intelligence agencies, along with international agencies, played a key role in his extradition process. On Tuesday, a plane carrying Salim Dola landed at a technical area in Delhi. Salim was the mastermind of a Rs 5000 crore global drug cartel.
According to news agency ANI, Salim Dola is being questioned by intelligence officials and will later be handed over to Mumbai Police for further questioning. Dola was detained in a joint operation by Turkey's national intelligence agency, MIT, and local police.
The action was taken following an Interpol Red Corner Notice. Dola is the main accused in a major drug case being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch. Dola holds a United Arab Emirates passport.
Investigators said that after being granted bail in 2018, he allegedly fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and obtained a passport under a different name. He operated his gang from the UAE from then on. He later moved to Turkey.
According to agencies, Dola had moved to mephedrone manufacturing at clandestine laboratories across different states, recently.
Who Is Salim Dola?
Salim Dola was born in Mumbai in 1966. He became involved with the underworld at a very young age. He worked closely with Dawood's close associate, Chhota Shakeel. He began his business by supplying gutkha, and later began smuggling marijuana.
In 2012, he was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau. He was released after spending five years in prison. Upon his release, he established a synthetic drug manufacturing unit. He was arrested again in Mumbai in 2018. However, he was granted bail four months later.