Salim Dola, an alleged drug kingpin and close associate of fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, has been detained in Istanbul in a joint operation by Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization and local police. Dola, who fled Mumbai nearly a decade ago, faces multiple charges under India's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, which carries stringent penalties and strict bail provisions. Authorities are expected to begin extradition proceedings to bring him back to India for trial.

Investigators said Dola was using forged identification documents from the United Arab Emirates to evade detection while coordinating a transnational narcotics network. The syndicate is believed to have managed synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking operations across India and the Middle East, relying on complex financial channels and fake travel papers to conceal its activities.

His arrest is linked to a major synthetic drug seizure in Maharashtra involving mephedrone valued at more than 252 crore rupees. The case began with the arrest of a courier in Mumbai and led to the discovery of a clandestine manufacturing unit in Sangli district, where over 123 kilograms of the drug and laboratory equipment were seized. Several alleged associates have been arrested or deported in connection with the investigation, while police said no evidence was found to charge the celebrities earlier questioned in the case.