Indian intelligence made significant progress with the apprehension of Salim Dola, an associate of notorious underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim. Dola was deported from Istanbul late on Wednesday night and subsequently taken into custody by a combined team of central agencies. He is wanted in connection with numerous criminal activities, including extortion, narcotics trafficking, and terror financing linked to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

Turkish authorities detained Dola earlier in the month based on an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued at India’s request. He had been living under a false identity in the Beylikdz district of Istanbul and was arrested following a meticulously planned operation that involved weeks of surveillance, according to officials.

Sources revealed that his capture stemmed from real-time intelligence collaboration between Indian agencies and Turkish authorities. Reports indicated that Dola used Istanbul as a transit point for hawala transactions and smuggling operations linked to D-Company activities across regions such as West Asia and Europe.

Salim Dola’s Role in D-Company

Dola has a longstanding affiliation with the D-Company network, having risen through its ranks during the 1990s. He has been implicated in several chargesheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for reportedly aiding individuals involved in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Investigations suggest that he played a crucial role in overseeing hawala operations, which were routed from Dubai to Mumbai through Karachi and Istanbul.

Officials believe that Dola was also involved in coordinating gold smuggling networks associated with the D-Company. Reports indicate that he frequently travelled to Karachi and had direct connections with not only Dawood Ibrahim but also his brother, Anees Ibrahim. Dola fled India in 2003 and was last located in the UAE in 2019 before relocating to Turkey amid increasing pressure on D-Company operations in Dubai.

Currently, Dola is being interrogated by a multi-agency team comprising officials from the NIA, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and Mumbai Police. The interrogation aims to clarify the current structure of D-Company, particularly in light of reports indicating Dawood’s deteriorating health. Investigators seek to identify those managing daily operations and any links to organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Implications of Dola’s Capture

The focus of the investigation also includes identifying safe houses and networks for fake passports operating in Turkey, the UAE, and Southeast Asia, along with exploring Dola’s purported role in trafficking synthetic drugs from Pakistan to India via maritime routes. Authorities indicated that while Dola is cooperating selectively during questioning, they possess digital and financial evidence that may validate their claims. His phone and laptop, seized in Istanbul, are currently being examined for further information.

Turkey has surfaced as a notable operational centre for D-Company as pressures in the UAE have escalated. The country’s connectivity, presence of a diaspora, and relatively easier pathways for residency make it a favourable location for such networks. Dola’s deportation follows the earlier extradition in 2024 of another associate of Dawood linked to figure Chhota Shakeel from Malaysia, which reflects a broader initiative by Indian agencies to dismantle the global operations of D-Company.

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