Bengaluru/Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Mumbai Crime Branch is preparing to take the custody of alleged drug mafia operative Salim Dola in connection with the Mysuru drug factory case.
Officials from the Crime Branch Unit 2 are expected to seek his custody from Arthur Road Jail for further investigation.
The “Mysuru drug factory case” refers to major narcotics syndicates that set up clandestine synthetic drug laboratories in and around Mysuru, Karnataka.
There have been multiple high-profile raids and seizures across the city. It can be noted that Mysuru is the native district of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and the development had triggered a major controversy.
Dola has already been questioned for nearly two weeks by the Mumbai Crime Branch in the Sangli drugs case.
Investigators are now looking to probe his alleged links and role in the Mysuru drug manufacturing network as well.
Salim Dola, who is believed to be a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was produced in court on Monday by Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 7 in connection with the same case.
After the hearing, the court sent him to judicial custody.
Crime Branch officials suspect that several interstate links connected to the narcotics network may emerge during further interrogation.
The agency is also investigating the financial trail, suppliers, and possible handlers connected to the operation.
It can be recalled that in late January 2026, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) dismantled a massive interstate drug trafficking laboratory hidden in the Hebbal Industrial Area.
The laboratory was posing as a commercial cleaning and chemical manufacturing unit.
The NCB arrested the mastermind, Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi, and three other individuals from Rajasthan.
The NCB seized street drugs worth over Rs 10 crore, more than 500 kilograms of chemical precursors, cash, and a Toyota Fortuner SUV.
Forensic tests later confirmed the production of Mephedrone (MD) and the presence of opium in connected units.
An alleged drug trafficking kingpin having links with the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate was detained by Turkish agencies in Beylikduzu and deported to India on Tuesday (April 28, 2026).
The Narcotics Control Bureau took him into custody upon his arrival at Delhi’s IGI Airport.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on X, “Zero tolerance against the narco syndicate. The @narcoticsbureau today made a major breakthrough in securing the return of notorious drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Türkiye.”
Referring to the Centre’s anti-drug campaign, he said that under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, anti-narcotics agencies had extended their reach across borders through a robust network of global agencies.
“Now, no matter where they hide, no place is safe for drug kingpins,” he said.
–IANS
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