In a significant breakthrough in a transnational narcotics probe, the Ghatkopar Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has arrested Salman Shaikh alias Shera Batla (35), a notorious drug supplier, after his deportation from Dubai on November 2. Batla was wanted in a 2022 drug seizure case registered by the Ghatkopar ANC.
According to officials, Batla’s name resurfaced during the interrogation of Mohammed Salim alias Sohail Shaikh, who was arrested by the Ghatkopar Unit 7 on October 22 in a separate narcotics case. Sohail revealed that Batla had been residing near him in Dubai, prompting Indian authorities to coordinate with UAE officials to secure his deportation.
Batla was taken into custody upon arrival in Mumbai and produced before the Esplanade Court on November 2. The Ghatkopar ANC sought his custody to confront him with Sohail and further investigate the 2022 case involving the seizure of commercial quantities of MD (mephedrone). The court granted police custody of Sohail till November 5, 2025.
Batla is the fourth accused to be deported and arrested from Dubai this year. Earlier, Taher Salim Dola and Mustafa Kubbawala were also extradited in connection with the same case. So far, 15 accused, including one woman, have been arrested in the ongoing probe.
Sohail Shaikh, against whom a Red Corner Notice was issued, was arrested at Mumbai airport upon his return from Dubai on October 22. His lawyers, Adv. Taraq Sayyed and Adv. Abrar Shaikh, had requested his transfer to Taloja Jail, citing safety concerns due to threats from a rival gangster at Arthur Road Jail—a request the court approved.
However, following fresh evidence linking Sohail to another drug case, the Ghatkopar ANC again sought his custody, which was extended until November 5 for further interrogation.
This series of arrests marks a major step forward in India’s efforts to dismantle an international MD drug trafficking network operating between Mumbai and Dubai.
