Following coordination by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Kubbawala Mustafa, a suspect in a narcotics case, was deported from the UAE. The Mumbai Police had been seeking Mustafa.
The CBI’s International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU), in conjunction with NCB-Abu Dhabi, facilitated the return of Mustafa, who was the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice, to India on July 11. A team of four officers from the Mumbai Police traveled to Dubai on July 7 to execute the repatriation. The team arrived back in Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Friday. The CBI, working through INTERPOL and NCB-Abu Dhabi, had previously located Mustafa in the UAE.
Mustafa is wanted by the Mumbai Police in connection with FIR No. 67/2024, filed at Kurla Police Station, Mumbai. The charges relate to the operation of a Synthetic Drug Manufacturing Factory in Sangli, which was being run from abroad. Law enforcement seized 126.141 kg of Mephedrone drugs, worth Rs 2.522 million, from the factory linked to Mustafa and others. Mustafa has been charged, and an arrest warrant has been issued.
The CBI requested INTERPOL to issue a Red Notice for Mustafa on November 25, 2024. On June 19, 2025, NCB-Abu Dhabi confirmed that their authorities were prepared to assist in bringing Mustafa back to India.
A Mumbai Police team was subsequently organized to bring Mustafa back from the UAE.
INTERPOL Red Notices are disseminated globally to law enforcement agencies to aid in the tracking of individuals wanted for criminal activity.
As the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India, the CBI works with Indian law enforcement agencies via BHARATPOL to coordinate efforts through INTERPOL channels. Through this mechanism, over 100 wanted criminals have been returned to India in recent years.