Muhammad Salim Dula, the 59-year-old drug smuggling mastermind who was recently deported to India, used the name “Hamza” to hide his identity while living in Turkey. PTI He said in a report on Friday. The fake identity was used in the Bulgarian passport under which he was living in Türkiye. It is still under investigation whether the Bulgarian passport is valid or not.
Saleem Dulla was deported to India on April 28 and remanded in Narcotics Control Bureau custody until May 8. He was arrested by the Turkish Intelligence Agency and Beylikduzu police before being deported.
He was arrested in Türkiye based on an Interpol Red Notice issued at India’s request in March 2024.
His criminal past shows his connection to the underworld and Dawood Ibrahim. However, Dula later became central in several drug trafficking cases in India and was on the run.
Who is Salim Doula?
Saleem Dhaula is a drug dealer born in Mumbai who has been under the surveillance of the Indian authorities for a long time. He was first arrested by the NCB in 2012 after 80 kilograms of marijuana was seized from him. The second arrest came in 2018 when 100 kilograms of fentanyl were found as Dula strengthened his connection to the drug world.
After some samples tested negative for fentanyl, Dula was released on bail, then fled to the United Arab Emirates and then to Türkiye after obtaining a false passport.
“Over the years, Dula has established a major cross-border drug smuggling ring spanning a number of countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. His criminal antecedents spanning over two decades include direct involvement in cases involving multiple high-value seizures of heroin, charas, mephedrone, mandrax and methamphetamine in Maharashtra and Gujarat,” the Home Ministry said in a statement after Dula’s extradition to India.
Dula’s name has emerged as an international drug trafficker linked to Dawood Ibrahim, the NCB of the Mumbai court said, adding that he has been identified as the main supplier of a commercial quantity of mephedrone seized from south Mumbai in June 2023.
