Mumbai Court Orders NCB Custody of Dawood Aide Salim Dola in Transnational Drug Probe

A Mumbai court has sent Mohammad Salim Dola, a close aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau till May 8, noting that he had been absconding for years and had not cooperated with the investigation in a case involving the seizure of mephedrone in south Mumbai.

The court accepted the agency’s contention that custodial interrogation was necessary in view of the nature and gravity of the offence, Dola’s alleged role in a transnational narcotics network, and his antecedents, as reported by multiple media outlets covering the hearing.

The matter came up before the Mumbai court after a Delhi court had granted the NCB two days transit remand to bring Dola from the national capital for further proceedings.

Dola, who was detained in Turkey on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued at India’s request in March 2024, was brought to Delhi and subsequently transferred to Mumbai, where he was produced before the jurisdictional court.

The sequence of events reflects the procedural route typically involved in securing the presence of an accused located overseas. His movement across jurisdictions, from international detention to transit remand and eventual production before the competent court, underscores the layered coordination between international alert mechanisms and domestic judicial processes in cases involving alleged transnational crime.

Dola is alleged to have operated under multiple identities, including one used in Turkey, and is said to have played a key role in facilitating drug trafficking operations linked to the network associated with Dawood Ibrahim.

Investigators have described the case as part of a broader effort to dismantle international narcotics syndicates, with the probe focusing on routes, handlers, financiers, and the cross-border movement of contraband.

The court’s order rests on the need for further interrogation rather than any determination of guilt, and the accused remains presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

The significance of the case lies not merely in the arrest, but in the scale of the network under investigation.

The NCB considers Dola to be a key link in a wider syndicate with alleged connections across multiple regions, and the present proceedings are expected to aid in mapping its operational structure.

The court’s observation that the accused had been absconding and had not cooperated with the probe appears to have weighed in favour of granting police custody, particularly in a case where the agency has sought to confront him with documentary material, co-accused statements, and digital evidence.

For the NCB, the case is being projected as part of a larger effort to disrupt underworld-linked drug economies operating across jurisdictions. At the same time, the legal position remains clear: the remand order authorises custody for the purposes of investigation alone and does not amount to a finding on the merits of the prosecution’s case.

The burden ultimately lies on the agency to connect Dola to the seized contraband, establish his alleged role through admissible evidence and demonstrate the relevance of any overseas links it seeks to rely upon.

Case Title: Mohammad Salim Dola v. Narcotics Control Bureau

Date of order: April 30, 2026