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CBI secures deportation of ₹252-cr drug case accused Kubbawala Mustafa from UAE
Mustafa was wanted by the Mumbai police for allegedly operating an illegal Mephedrone manufacturing unit in Sangli from abroad
Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday secured the deportation of Kubbawala Mustafa, a key accused in a ₹252-crore synthetic drug case, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Mustafa, wanted by the Mumbai Police for allegedly operating an illegal Mephedrone manufacturing unit in Sangli from abroad, arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Dubai.
Mumbai Police had seized 126.14 kg of Mephedrone—commonly known as ‘MD’—from the factory in Sangli linked to Kubbawala Mustafa and others last year. “A total of 126.14 kilograms of Mephedrone drugs, worth Rs. 2.522 million in the illicit markets, was recovered and confiscated from the said factory,” a CBI officer said.
The CBI in June secured the deportation of Taher Salim Dola, another key accused in the synthetic drug case, from the UAE. The Mumbai Police had issued look out circulars (LOC) against Taher, his father Salim Dola, and other suspects in the case.
Mustafa was charge-sheeted, and the court had issued an open-dated arrest warrant against him. The CBI got a Red Corner Notice (RCN) published against Mustafa on November 25, 2024, at the request of Mumbai Police. “He was apprehended in the UAE on the basis of a pending RCN against him,” the officer said.
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RCNs, issued via Interpol, allow for the arrest or detention of fugitives in member countries pending extradition or deportation. “The CBI, as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol (the International Criminal Police Organisation), coordinates all such efforts through its BHARATPOL platform,” the officer explained.
A four-member team of Mumbai Police went to Dubai on July 7 to bring back Mustafa, who was geo-located in the UAE through close follow-up by the CBI, in coordination with Interpol and the NCB, Abu Dhabi.
In recent years, over 100 wanted fugitives have been brought back to India through Interpol cooperation, the officer added.
