A breakthrough has been reported in a long-running international manhunt, as Salim Dola, a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Istanbul on 25th April. Dola, who is believed to be involved in global drug trafficking, had managed to stay off the radar of agencies for a long time by constantly shifting locations and avoiding any digital footprint.
Courier delivery became the turning point
For months, Dola had been living quietly in Turkey, barely stepping out and keeping a very low profile. Investigators say he had almost cut off all direct contact and was extremely careful not to leave any trace behind. But what he avoided for so long eventually caught up with him because of a small mistake.
According to the media reports, Dola ordered a courier delivery to his hideout. This routine action turned out to be the biggest clue for agencies tracking him. Using this lead, Indian authorities, along with Interpol, traced the exact location and shared the information with Turkish officials.
Soon after, local police in Istanbul carried out a raid and arrested him from the hideout. During the search, officers recovered three passports, including one Bulgarian passport under the name “Hamza” and two Indian passports.
Global hunt and drug network probe
After his arrest, he was brought back from Turkey (Turkiye) by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday, 28th April. The groundwork for the action was laid a few months ago when the agency proposed a three-year strategy to the Union Home Ministry for “Operation Global-Hunt.” The goal of the mission is to destroy 100 narcotics networks that Indian fugitives run overseas, notably in Dubai, Canada and Europe.
Officials believe Dola was using Turkey as a base to run an international synthetic drug network, dealing in substances like MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). Agencies are now questioning him to uncover more details about his operations and identify others involved in the network.
