Crime branch moves special NDPS court seeking Salim Dola’s custody

In its plea filed earlier this week, the crime branch urged the court to issue a production warrant so it could interrogate Dola in multiple narcotics cases registered across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana

MUMBAI: The Mumbai crime branch has approached a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act court seeking custody of alleged international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola, who is in custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till May 8.

New Delhi, Apr 28 (ANI): Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials take custody of wanted drug trafficker Mohammed Salim Dola at IGI Airport, Dola was brought back from Turkey under 'Operation Global-Hunt' and is set to be presented before a local court later today, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab) (ANI Video Grab)

In its plea filed earlier this week, the crime branch urged the court to issue a production warrant so it could interrogate Dola in multiple narcotics cases registered across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.

Dola’s custodial interrogation was essential to unravel a wider inter-state syndicate and trace supply chains, financial flows and linkages with co-accused already arrested in different jurisdictions, the crime branch told the court, which is yet to pass orders on the plea.

Dola, allegedly associated with the Dawood Ibrahim gang, was recently extradited from Turkiye based on a red corner notice after being on the run for nearly a decade.

According to the NCB, he functioned as a bulk supplier for synthetic drugs, channeling large consignments into the country through intermediaries. Dola allegedly supplied around 40 kg MD every month to co-accused Faisal Shaikh, who in turn distributed the contraband to local peddlers across Mumbai, purchasing it at approximately ₹7 lakh per kg and selling it onward at about ₹8 lakh per kg, indicating a high-volume, profit-driven operation.

The NCB, while seeking Dola’s remand last week, had told the court that at least 20 kg of MD, well above the “commercial quantity” threshold under the NDPS Act, was seized in the case linked to the network, and that his role was not confined to a single transaction but spanned multiple consignments and coordinated supply chains.

Investigators have indicated that the proceeds of crime and cross-border movement of narcotics are key lines of inquiry, with Dola allegedly operating from abroad after fleeing India and maintaining contact with distributors and financiers through encrypted channels.

Parallel investigations by different agencies have linked Dola to multiple drug cases across states, including clandestine MD manufacturing units and distribution networks busted in Mira-Bhayander and Sangli, as well as linked supply chains in Mysuru and parts of Telangana. While drugs were produced in such factories, Dola operated upstream as a bulk supplier coordinating procurement and onward distribution, agencies have alleged.

The crime branch’s application underscores that several of these cases involve common supply routes and overlapping accused persons, making Dola’s interrogation crucial to establishing the full architecture of the network. Investigators said the move to seek his custody from the NCB was aimed at enabling coordinated interrogation across cases that are currently being probed by different agencies. Without custodial access, it would be difficult to reconcile evidence, confront the accused with material from parallel cases and identify higher-level operatives who may still be at large, investigators said.