India Takes the Fight to Global Crime: Operation Global Hunt Unleashed
The Indian government has teamed up with Interpol to take down international crime syndicates and bring back fugitives who have escaped to foreign countries. The operation, called 'Operation Global Hunt,' is a huge effort to target over 100 international drug networks that are allegedly being run by Indian fugitives from places like Dubai, Canada, and parts of Europe.
The operation was planned during an Interpol conference and involves a detailed roadmap that was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Indian security agencies will use Interpol Red Notices, asset freezes, and coordinated raids with foreign agencies to track down and arrest key kingpins. The goal is to hunt, arrest, and repatriate these fugitives, often through special flights, after dossiers are submitted to host governments.
One of the first big successes of Operation Global Hunt is the arrest of Salim Ismail Dola, a close associate of notorious crime lord Dawood Ibrahim. Dola was deported from Istanbul and brought back to India, where he is currently being questioned by intelligence agencies.
Dola's role in the transnational synthetic drug racket is estimated to be worth over Rs 5,000 crore. Investigators believe that he was more than just a courier, and was actually a key supplier in a major mephedrone seizure in South Mumbai in June 2023. His alleged links to Dawood Ibrahim have also come under scrutiny as agencies try to map the full extent of the network.
Dola's return to India is seen as a major step in targeting the global operations of the D-Company network, which has long been under scrutiny by the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Mumbai Police. He is likely to be handed over to the Mumbai Police or the NCB in the coming days in connection with multiple cases related to drug trafficking and money laundering.