Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 12: In a major breakthrough in the Rs 252-cr synthetic drug bust case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday successfully deported 44-year-old Mustafa Mohammed Kubbawala from the United Arab Emirates with the support of Interpol and UAE authorities.
Kubbawala, a resident of Surat, was a key accused in the massive seizure of 126.14 kg of mephedrone (MD) from an illegal factory in Sangli district, Maharashtra, in March last year. The factory, located in Kavthe Mahankal, was allegedly operated by notorious drug kingpin Salim Dola and his son, Taher.
Officials confirmed that Kubbawala, who is Salim Dola’s nephew, was located in the UAE through cooperation between Interpol and the National Central Bureau-Abu Dhabi. He was apprehended based on a Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued following the Mumbai crime branch’s bust of the drug lab. RCNs facilitate the arrest of fugitives in member countries pending extradition or deportation.
“The International Police Cooperation Unit of the CBI, in close coordination with NCB-Abu Dhabi, ensured Kubbawala's return to India,” an official said.
A four-member team from the Mumbai crime branch, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Chandrakant Jadhav and Inspector Arun Thorat, travelled to the UAE on July 7 and brought Kubbawala to Mumbai on Friday. He was earlier arrested in Dubai on May 18, just two days before his cousin Taher Dola was nabbed by NCB-Abu Dhabi. Taher was deported to India on June 13 and is now in judicial custody.
According to police investigations, Kubbawala entered the narcotics trade nearly a decade ago and had become a key figure in his uncle’s drug network over the past five to six years. He allegedly supplied raw materials for manufacturing mephedrone from Surat to one Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde, who handled production at the Sangli facility.
His associates, Ijaj Ali Imdad Ali Ansari and Adil Imtiyaz Vohara — also from Surat — were earlier arrested for helping procure the necessary chemicals. Police say Kubbawala personally transported the finished drugs from Sangli to distribution points in Mira Road using high-end luxury cars such as BMWs and Mercedes vehicles.
He reportedly delivered the contraband to Sajid Mohammad Asif Shaikh alias Dabs, 25, who then distributed it through a peddler network. Kubbawala would collect the proceeds from Dabs and transfer the money to Dubai via hawala channels, said a senior officer.
Although based mostly in Surat, Kubbawala would travel to Mumbai and the surrounding metropolitan region as needed. He fled to the UAE after the March 2023 raid in Sangli.
So far, the Mumbai Police’s Unit 7 crime branch has arrested 13 individuals in the case, including a woman. The investigation continues.