Veraval: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday apprehended three relatives of the fugitive drug dealer Isa Hussain Rao, including his wife and son, for allegedly aiding him in smuggling 8 kg of heroin that had arrived at the Veraval coastline.

Rao’s wife, Tahira, and son, Arbaz, who reside in Jodia village in Jamnagar district, were among the detainees. The third individual, Rizwan Taiyab, the fiancé of Rao’s daughter Masuma, was also arrested.

The accused, booked under sections 8(c), 22(c), 23(c), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, were produced before the court on Wednesday, which remanded them to ATS custody for 9 days.

Isa has been evading authorities since 2021 and is currently based in an African country. He is a key accused in the ATS seizure of heroin worth Rs 600 crore in Morbi district in 2021. The investigation revealed that the heroin was sent by Rao’s associates in Pakistan via sea route, landing at the Salaya port near Jamnagar and then transported to Morbi.

Using a similar modus operandi, the ATS found that Rao had dispatched 8 kg of heroin last October with the assistance of a Pakistan-based trafficker named Murtaza. A boat delivered the heroin at the coast near Veraval harbor on October 16, which was later transported by road and eventually delivered to a foreign national in Delhi. The ATS revealed that Tahira, Masuma, Arbaz, and Rizwan Taiyab were actively involved in receiving the delivery at Veraval and transporting the drugs to Delhi with the help of others.

The agency mentioned ongoing efforts to arrest additional individuals, including four Indians, a Pakistani national, and another foreigner operating from Delhi. DeshGujarat