Incognito no more: Dawood aide Salim Dola arrested in Turkey after ‘mistake’

Dawood aide Salim Dola extradited from Turkey after courier slip exposes hideout

Mohammad Salim Dola, a close aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, has been extradited to India from Turkey after a crucial slip-up led to his arrest. The 59-year-old, a resident of Mumbai’s Dongri, was held in Istanbul on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued in 2024. He was wanted in multiple narcotics trafficking cases and had evaded agencies for years.

Officials said tracing Dola had been extremely challenging, until a single mistake exposed his location.

Courier trail cracks case

After fleeing India, Dola went underground in Istanbul and reportedly avoided all direct contact for nearly 18 months. However, a recent courier order to his hideout proved costly. The transaction helped Indian agencies, working with Interpol, track his exact location.

Local police in Istanbul were alerted and carried out a raid, leading to his arrest. He was brought to Delhi earlier this week.

Multiple identities under probe

During searches, officials recovered two Indian passports and one Bulgarian passport from Dola’s possession. He was allegedly living under the alias “Hamza” using the Bulgarian document, which is now under verification. A Mumbai court has remanded him to the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau till May 8.

Investigators say Dola is a key figure in international drug trafficking networks linked to Dawood Ibrahim and was the main supplier in a major mephedrone seizure in south Mumbai in June 2023.