Salim Dola deportation: India and Turkey continue cooperation on terrorism and transnational crime
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A Red Corner Notice was issued against Salim Dola through Interpol Photograph: (X)
Salim Dola, a Mumbai resident and a key operative in international narco-trafficking networks, was handed over to Indian authorities on 28 April. He had been living in Istanbul since early 2024 after fleeing to Dubai in 2020.
New Delhi: In a notable display of counter-terrorism and transnational crime cooperation, Turkey has deported fugitive Salim Ismailbhai Dola (SID) to India, days after his detention in Istanbul. The move shows Ankara’s continued support for New Delhi on security matters, even as broader diplomatic relations between the two countries have faced strains in recent years.
Dola, a Mumbai resident and a key operative in international narco-trafficking networks, was handed over to Indian authorities on 28 April. He had been living in Istanbul since early 2024 after fleeing to Dubai in 2020. Indian authorities describe him as an accomplice of the late Iqbal Mirchi, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and a central figure in a major 2018 fentanyl trafficking case in Mumbai valued at around Rs 1,000 crore ($120 million). The consignment was reportedly destined for Mexico.
A Red Corner Notice was issued against Dola through Interpol. Turkish authorities, after receiving formal documents from India via diplomatic and Interpol channels, acted decisively. Officials thwarted Dola’s attempts to secure Turkish citizenship through the Citizenship by Investment programme, leading to his rapid deportation. The Indian side has praised the Turkish government’s proactive role.
This latest action fits a pattern of quiet but robust security collaboration. In January 2019, Turkey deported Mishaal Kunhimon, an Indian national linked to the Indian Mujahideen and suspected ISIS networks. Earlier, in 2015, Turkish authorities intercepted and returned at least two men from Tamil Nadu who were attempting to join ISIS. The fourth meeting of the India-Turkey Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, held in Ankara in July 2019, provided a formal platform for sharing intelligence on terrorism financing, radicalisation, and cross-border criminal syndicates.
Turkish officials have long viewed such cooperation as mutually beneficial, particularly given Ankara’s own battles against terrorism and other threats. Despite geopolitical frictions, including differing positions on several issues and Turkey’s ties with Pakistan, security cooperation continues.
The operational success on Dola also shows a functional channel between New Delhi and Ankara amid otherwise challenging bilateral ties. Dola’s deportation is expected to strengthen ongoing investigations into narco-terror networks that allegedly use West Asia and European routes to fund criminal enterprises.
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