Salim Dola, an associate of Dawood Ibrahim on Tuesday has been deported from Istanbul to India following a coordinated operation by intelligence agencies, according to a news report in IANS.
Dola was brought to Delhi on a special flight and is currently being questioned by agencies. He will be handed over to the NCB in Mumbai for further investigation.
Earlier, CNN Turkiye reported that Dola, a notorious Indian drug lord wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, had been arrested by Turkish authorities following a high-stakes raid in Istanbul.
The Narcotics Crimes Division of the Istanbul Police Department arrested Dola on April 25 after launching a targeted operation to intercept him. Dola, who is wanted for 'drug trafficking', was located hiding in a residence in the Beylikduzu district.
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Following extensive technical and physical surveillance that allowed security teams to confirm the suspect's exact whereabouts, an operation was executed at the identified address where Dola was successfully apprehended. He was then processed for deportation to India.
The crackdown in Turkey aligns with ongoing investigations in India, where associates captured in Mumbai's Kurla region reportedly confessed to receiving instructions from Dola, according to CNN Turk.
During related raids in India, authorities seized 126.141 kg of mephedrone and Rs 25.22 lakh in cash. The Istanbul Police Department has since completed the formalities required for Dola's deportation, as per an ANI report.
The Interpol Red Notice states that Dola faces multiple charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The law provides for a minimum 10-year prison term in serious narcotics cases and imposes strict bail conditions, particularly when commercial quantities of drugs are involved. Officials are expected to book him under the NDPS Act and other relevant laws for the offences under investigation.
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