Mohammad Salim Dola was recently arrested and deported. This is one of the most important steps taken in recent years against the global crime network related to Dawood Ibrahim’s D Company.
Dola had been part of the Mumbai underworld for a long time and had been involved in the group’s foreign activities for many years. He was in charge of both selling drugs and the important financial and organisational networks that helped the group stay alive across borders.
At 59, Dola was no longer a small part of the game. Investigators say he was a key figure whose duties spanned countries and connected producers, wholesalers, investors, and others who helped with the business.
With help from groups like the NIA, NCB and RAW, the operation relied on long term monitoring and sharing of information across borders. Dola had purposely stayed out of the public eye for years. He moved from the United Arab Emirates to Turkey as it was getting harder to keep doing business there, as Indian and Emirati officials were working together more.
Lived a secretive life
In Istanbul, he lived a secretive life by avoiding direct touch and restricting his movements so that he wouldn’t be caught.
Dola allegedly didn’t leave his house for almost a year and a half and dodged open conversations that could have revealed his whereabouts.
Even with these measures, a small operating error is said to have been the deciding factor. Investigators were able to pinpoint exactly where he was by ordering a courier delivery to his home.
With this transaction, intelligence information, and tracking tools, the police were able to confirm that he was in a certain hideout in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü area.
With this knowledge, Indian authorities informed Turkish police of the situation. Rapidly, cops from the area carried out a raid at the known spot. As India requested, Dola was arrested after an Interpol Red Notice was issued in March 2024.
The arrest was the result of months of organised monitoring that included both following the person around and gathering information electronically. Before they found him in Turkey, the police had been keeping an eye on possible leads across several countries.
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How did Dola get away from being caught?
Using various names and travel papers was a major part of how Dola stayed hidden for years. Investigators discovered that while living in Turkey, he used a fake name, Hamza, to conduct business.
Initial investigations show that he had a Bulgarian visa under this fake name. Officials are currently checking whether this paper was obtained legally or through a scam.
During the search of his home, two Indian IDs were also found. This raises more questions about the network of fake or duplicate papers that may have helped him move around.
Early information suggested that Dola had hidden his identity by using a passport that seemed to have been given by the UAE.
Using fake names and documents from other countries is a common way for large criminal networks to operate. When it came to Dola, these methods let him move between states while staying out of the police’s reach for long periods of time.
Who is Salim Dola and how did he become so important in DCompany?
Dola got involved in organised crime as the city’s underworld was undergoing major changes. He was born in 1966 and grew up in the Dongri and Byculla neighbourhoods of Mumbai.
Dola’s part was mostly political, unlike those who were directly involved with law enforcement or dangerous actions. He got very active in running operations abroad, especially those that had to do with dealing drugs.
Investigators say he was a supervisor who brought together suppliers, transporters and financial middlemen from around the world.
He is thought to have been in charge of a large network that dealt in manufactured drugs like mephedrone, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
These actions took place in West Asia, Africa and Europe, showing that he had a broad reach and made him one of the most important figures in the syndicate’s global activities.
In addition to selling drugs, Dola was in charge of financial matters. This included hawala deals, which are unofficial ways to send money across countries that are not through banks. As part of the organization, he also helped other members obtain fake travel documents and smuggle cash.
He could handle all of these linked tasks, he was very important to D Company. While other agents may have been in charge of law enforcement or controlling territory, Dola helped keep the syndicate’s finances and logistics in good shape.
Over time, he went from being a local operator to a member of D Company with foreign duties.
What do we know about his ties to Dawood Ibrahim?
Dola is friends with Dawood Ibrahim, who is part of the core of D Company. According to intelligence reports, he had direct access to influential figures within the organization, including Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees Ibrahim.
Indian police, including the CBI and the NIA, have put his name on chargesheets related to the 1993 blasts in Mumbai.
Why is the arrest of Salim Dola seen as a big step forward?
People think Dola’s arrest is a major problem for D-Company’s ability to operate. As the person in charge of both drug dealing and money laundering, his removal from the network breaks important routes that kept the gang running.
He was extradited from the UAE in 2025 along with his son Taher Salim Dola, which makes this event even more important. Since both people have been arrested, one of the drug gang’s main supply lines has been broken down.
Officials think that Dola’s understanding of how the organization works could be very important. Investigators can get a lot of useful information from him as he knows a lot about hawala lines, fake companies, safe places, and supply chains.
