Imagine living in secret for over a year and a half, barely stepping out of your room or talking to anyone. That was the life of Mohammad Salim Dola, a 59-year-old man wanted for narcotics trafficking in India. Dola, a close aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, had been on the run for years, and the Indian security agencies had been searching for him everywhere.

The agencies finally got a break when Dola, fearing capture, ordered a courier delivery to his hideout in Istanbul. Unbeknownst to him, this simple transaction led to his downfall. Indian agencies, aided by Interpol, were able to pinpoint Dola's location and alert the Istanbul police.

On Tuesday, Dola was arrested and brought to Delhi from Turkey. What the authorities found in his room was shocking - three passports, including two Indian ones and a Bulgarian one, under the assumed name 'Hamza'.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has taken Dola into custody and is investigating his role as a key supplier of the mephedrone drug seized from south Mumbai in June 2023. The probe agency told the Mumbai court that Dola's name emerged as an international drug trafficker associated with Dawood Ibrahim.

Dola's arrest is a significant victory for Indian security agencies, who had been tracking him for years. His story is a reminder that even the most careful plans can go awry, and sometimes, all it takes is a small mistake to bring a secret life to an end.