NEW DELHI
A Delhi court has granted the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) a two-day transit remand for Mohammad Salim Dola, a suspected high-level drug handler.
Dola, reportedly a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was recently brought back from Turkey. He will now be transported to Mumbai to face charges related to a major drug syndicate.
The NCB produced Dola before a duty magistrate, requesting time to move him across state lines. Federal prosecutors argued that his arrest is tied to a 2023 investigation into international narcotics smuggling. Although his lawyers fought the request, claiming Dola had been living abroad since 2020 and could not be linked to the recent case, the court ruled in favor of the agency. Officials stated that an active warrant from a Mumbai court justified the arrest and transfer.
In a separate but significant ruling at the same court, judges found enough evidence to proceed with money laundering charges against Bilquies Shah, the wife of separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleges she was involved in illegal “hawala” transactions used to fund terror activities. The judge noted that the current evidence raises “grave suspicion” regarding her role in handling criminal proceeds.
These back-to-back legal wins mark a busy week for federal agencies tackling organized crime and terror funding. For Dola, the clock is now ticking as he prepares to face a specialized court in Mumbai, where investigators hope to uncover more details about his syndicate’s operations.
