A close aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, Salim Dola, was arrested in Turkey and deported to India on Tuesday, 28 April, marking a significant breakthrough for Indian law enforcement in its crackdown on organised crime and ISI-backed narcotics networks. Dola was flown to New Delhi in a special aircraft and handed over to Central Intelligence officials for interrogation.

The Deportation and What Followed

Mumbai Police, which has registered multiple cases against Dola, is expected to seek his custody following the initial round of questioning by Central Intelligence agencies. According to officials, the swift deportation was made possible through coordinated efforts between Indian and international intelligence agencies. Dola is accused of running a drug business reportedly worth ₹5,000 crore, which officials describe as a significant pillar of the Dawood syndicate's financial operations in India.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also set to question Dola in connection with several money laundering cases linked to his network. Officials said the questioning would focus on his India-based operations, links with international players, and his role within the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate — particularly in mapping and disrupting supply chains.

A Series of Legal Victories Against the Dola Network

The deportation of Salim Dola is the latest in a string of enforcement actions targeting his network. Earlier, his son Taher Dola — described as a major player in the drug trade — was extradited to India. Subsequently, Salim Mohamed Sheikh, a close aide of Dola, was deported from Dubai and is currently in the custody of Mumbai's Anti-Narcotics Cell. According to officials, an Intelligence Bureau official confirmed that Dola would be questioned specifically about the Dawood syndicate's structure and his links to it, calling it essential to breaking Dawood's supply chains within India.

ISI Links and Terror Financing Under the Scanner

Officials indicated that the questioning of Dola would also probe the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)'s alleged role in shaping the drug trade in India. According to one official, the ISI reportedly ensures that 40 per cent of earnings from the drug trade is channelled to fund terror outfits. Figures like Dawood have long been accused of financing groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Dola's interrogation is expected to shed light on these financial flows.

Officials also said Dola could provide critical information on drug laboratories he allegedly set up, as well as his direct links to Dawood and the ISI — intelligence that could prove valuable in dismantling the broader network.

Wider Crackdown: Myanmar Cartels, Mexican Networks, and the Northeast

The deportation comes amid a broader offensive by Indian agencies against drug cartels operating across multiple fronts. Recent operations in the Andaman Islands resulted in seizures of massive drug consignments, with officials indicating that Mexican cartels were reportedly handling these shipments — intended to transit through India to Thailand. Separately, Indian agencies are closely monitoring cartels operating out of Myanmar, which are allegedly pushing large quantities of drugs into the northeastern states.

According to officials, money raised through these drug networks is reportedly being routed to fund insurgent groups in India's northeast, underlining the direct national security dimension of the narcotics trade.

Government's Push for a Drug-Free India

The Narendra Modi government has aggressively pursued its stated goal of a drug-free India, with multiple operations targeting the Dawood network carried out across the country in recent months. Officials said these developments signal India's resolve in dismantling organised crime and narcotics syndicates with cross-border and terror-financing dimensions. Further operations are expected as agencies continue to follow leads emerging from the interrogations of Dola and his associates.