Chandigarh, April 28
A close aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and alleged drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola was brought to India early on Tuesday following a coordinated international operation, officials said. The 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.
In a statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the operation reflected the government’s “zero tolerance” policy against narcotics syndicates.He said the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had achieved a major breakthrough by securing Dola’s return. Officials said Dola was taken into custody upon arrival in New Delhi and would face further legal proceedings in India.
In a post on X platform, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation 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 Home Minister said.
The successful return of Salim Dola, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister 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, the official statement said.
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.
