Thane: A 61-year-old woman from Thane, who had worked as a baby caretaker in Dubai, has allegedly been cheated of Rs 15.76 lakh under the pretext of receiving a parcel containing valuables from abroad, police said on Thursday.

The woman, who lives near Thane railway station in Maharashtra, alleged that two persons contacted her on her Dubai mobile number on April 14 and informed her that her gold ornaments and a high-end phone had arrived at the Mumbai airport from Italy, an official from Naupada police station said.

“They told her that the consignment needed to be cleared before April 22 and threatened that if she failed to do so, she would face legal action and would not be allowed to go back to Dubai,” the official said.

The fraudsters allegedly made multiple calls to the woman from different numbers and shared bank account details via WhatsApp, coercing her into transferring money on several occasions, he said.

“Under pressure and fear of arrest, the woman transferred Rs 15,76,000 into various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters,” the official said.

The woman approached the police on Tuesday, following which a case was registered against two unidentified persons under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Efforts were underway to trace the culprits, the police added.

Mumbai: Salim Dola, a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, displayed defiance upon his arrival in Mumbai following his arrest in Turkey, declaring, “No fear. I am not scared,” as he was escorted by officials. His statement came while he was being taken for a medical examination before being produced in court on Thursday.

Dola, considered a key figure in the operations of the infamous D-Company, was brought to the city yesterday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after being granted a two-day transit remand by a Delhi court.

The arrest marks a major breakthrough for Indian agencies, as Dola had been on the run for several years and was allegedly managing international drug trafficking operations from Turkey. He was held on April 25 in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district during a coordinated operation involving Indian intelligence and Turkish law enforcement authorities.

Following his arrest, Dola was deported to India and first produced before the Patiala House Court, which approved his transfer to Mumbai for further investigation. Special Public Prosecutor Manish Gupta appeared for the NCB and sought his custody in connection with a 2023 narcotics case registered in Mumbai.

Upon reaching Mumbai yesterday, Dola was taken to the NCB’s zonal office, where he is currently being interrogated. Officials believe he holds critical information about the functioning of D-Company’s global drug network, including smuggling routes across West Asia and Europe and the use of hawala channels to move illicit funds. Investigators are also looking to uncover details about sleeper cells and local distributors linked to the syndicate in Mumbai and surrounding regions.

Dola will be produced before a Mumbai court following initial procedures. His arrest and the later transfer to Delhi and now Mumbai are being seen as a major step in efforts to dismantle transnational organised crime networks with links to India.

Mumbai: In a major breakthrough for Indian intelligence and anti-narcotics agencies, international drug trafficker Salim Dola, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, is set to be brought to Mumbai today after 5 pm following his deportation to India from Turkey.

Dola was brought to India early Tuesday morning as part of a highly confidential and coordinated international operation led by the Narcotics Control Bureau under ‘Operation Global-Hunt.’ He arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on a special aircraft after being detained in Istanbul based on intelligence inputs shared by Indian agencies with foreign authorities.

Upon arrival, he was taken into custody by NCB officials and questioned at the airport. After initial interrogation, officials confirmed that Dola will now be transported to Mumbai later today, where he will be taken to the NCB office for further probe and legal proceedings.

Dola was a key figure in an international drug trafficking syndicate with operations spanning India, Dubai and several other countries. His name has reportedly surfaced in connection with a large-scale synthetic drug racket, raising serious concerns about the extent of the network.

Security agencies suspect that the syndicate has links with the infamous D-Company, indicating a possible nexus between global narcotics cartels and organised crime groups. Dola was earlier active in Mumbai’s Dongri area before allegedly shifting his base to Dubai, from where he is believed to have managed a major drug supply chain targeting India. Officials have also claimed he used a Saudi Arabian passport to facilitate international travel.

The arrest follows sustained action against his network. In October 2025, the Mumbai Crime Branch extradited his close aide Mohammad Salim Sohel Sheikh from Dubai. A month later, four of his family members, including his son Tahir Dola, were also brought to India after being arrested abroad. The NCB had earlier announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to his capture, while an Interpol Red Corner Notice had intensified efforts to track him globally.

Dola’s custodial interrogation in Mumbai is expected to yield crucial leads on international drug trafficking routes and could expose deeper links between narcotics syndicates and the underworld network linked to Dawood Ibrahim. Further investigation is underway.