Mumbai, The Mumbai Crime Branch has filed an application in a special NDPS court seeking custody of Salim Dola, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, officials said on Tuesday.

Dola is currently in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) until May 8, where he is being interrogated in connection with drug-related cases.

The Mumbai Crime Branch will be able to take him into custody only after the court grants approval and his present remand with the NCB concludes.

By filing this application, the Crime Branch has requested the court to issue a production warrant, thereby enabling them to take Dola into their custody once his remand with the NCB expires.

As per legal protocol, the Crime Branch is required to first demonstrate to the court why the accused’s custody is deemed necessary. If the court determines that interrogation regarding other cases is warranted, it issues a production warrant, following which the concerned agency may take the accused into its custody.

The Crime Branch intends to seek consecutive custody of Dola for various cases, including in chronological order the Sangli drugs case, the Mysuru drugs case, and the Telangana drugs case, among several others.

According to the Mumbai Crime Branch, Salim Dola has been a pivotal figure within several major drug trafficking networks.

Investigations have revealed his suspected involvement in the drug manufacturing cases uncovered in Sangli, Mysuru, and Telangana. Furthermore, his name also surfaced in connection with the seizure of 4 kilograms of MD drugs in 2024.

The Crime Branch believes that the interrogation of Dola could lead to the dismantling of a major drug syndicate.

The final decision regarding this matter now rests with the NDPS court.

Dola, 59, a resident of Mumbai, was the subject of an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued at India’s request in March 2024. He was wanted for prosecution in multiple narcotics trafficking cases and had been absconding from Indian law enforcement agencies for several years.

Dola’s two-decade-long criminal record includes direct involvement in high-value seizures of heroin, charas, mephedrone, Mandrax, and methamphetamine in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Investigations consistently identified Dola as a bulk supplier to downstream drug distribution networks in India. He was also wanted by the Gujarat ATS and the Mumbai Police.

Earlier, his son, Taher Salim Dola, along with other associates, was arrested by Mumbai Police after extradition from the UAE in 2025.

A shocking incident has emerged from Mumbai, creating panic among patients and their relatives within a hospital premises.

According to reports, a man was seen standing outside the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital) with a knife lodged in his head. The horrifying sight caused chaos and fear among those present at the scene.

Eyewitnesses stated that the man was critically injured but did not receive immediate emergency medical attention for some time. Allegedly, he had come to the hospital seeking treatment, but no doctor attended to him promptly as an emergency case, and he was reportedly ignored.

After the incident was reported, hospital authorities and the police arrived at the spot. The injured man was later admitted to the ICU, where his condition remains critical, and doctors are making efforts to save his life.

This incident has raised serious questions about the functioning of the hospital administration. Patients and their families have alleged that if timely treatment had been provided, the situation might not have become so severe.

Mumbai, May 4: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the BJP’s victory in West Bengal would help save the country from infiltrators and terrorist activities, asserting that people had reposed strong faith in the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Citing the BJP’s performance in Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry, he said 78 per cent of the country is now ruled by the BJP-led NDA.

The BJP has won six seats and is leading in 196 seats, while the TMC has bagged one as the counting of votes in the West Bengal Assembly polls progressed, indicating a saffron surge in the state.

“The victory in West Bengal will save our country from infiltrators, terrorist activities, and attacks. The way the Mamata Banerjee-led government functioned would ensure infiltrators from Bangladesh and send them across the country. These people would take away our jobs and pose a threat to our security, sovereignty, and unity,” Fadnavis said.

Referring to his campaign during the Bengal polls, Fadnavis said he was told that locals considered the BJP an outsider party, to which he responded that the party was founded by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and had deep roots.

He claimed the BJP has secured a two-thirds majority in the state, reflecting people’s trust in Modi.

Fadnavis said there was a growing trust factor for the BJP and PM Modi across states such as West Bengal, Puducherry, and Assam, adding that the party would bring West Bengal out of “bad rule”.

He criticised the erstwhile governments of Congress and the Left, calling the last 15 years under Banerjee the “worst of all” tenures.

He said West Bengal, once the country’s financial hub with Kolkata as its economic capital, had declined due to the previous governments.

“Of the total FDI which our country receives, West Bengal could not even attract half a per cent,” Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister said West Bengal was once highly industrialised, but nearly 7,000 major industries had left, turning it into a “jungle raj”.

He credited PM Modi’s vision and infrastructure push, including roads and metro projects, for convincing voters about real transformation.

Fadnavis hailed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a master strategist and also lauded BJP president Nitin Nabin for ensuring a major victory.

He said the Bengal victory was dedicated to BJP workers who were attacked or killed after the previous assembly elections, asserting that the party’s “chariot of victory cannot be stopped”.

Drawing a comparison with Assam, Fadnavis said infiltration and terror activities had stopped after the BJP came to power and that the north-eastern state is now contributing significantly to growth.

“Similarly, West Bengal will be seen as a growth partner of the country in the coming days,” he added.

Fadnavis also thanked the Election Commission for conducting peaceful polls, claiming that no lives were lost.