Gold smuggling case: Ranya Rao’s custody extended again till April 21

Bengaluru: A special court in Bengaluru on Monday extended the judicial custody of Kannada actress Ranya Rao and two others till April 21 in connection with a high-profile gold smuggling case.

Ranya Rao, who is the stepdaughter of senior police officer Ramchandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kilograms of gold worth over Rs 12.56 crore. The second accused, Tarun Raju, and the third accused, jeweller Sahil Sakaria Jain, are also in custody at Bengaluru Central Jail.

The court rejected Tarun Raju’s bail plea, while Jain’s bail application is set to be heard on April 9.

The case is currently being investigated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In light of the accusations, the Karnataka state government has formed a special team headed by a senior IAS officer to examine the role of DGP Ramachandra Rao. The investigation report has been submitted to the government, according to sources.

DRI reveals hawala link between actress and jeweller

The DRI, in its remand application to the court, claimed that Ranya Rao and Sahil Sakaria Jain were part of a hawala network. Investigations found that with Jain’s help, Ranya allegedly disposed of 49.6 kilograms of gold—estimated to be worth nearly Rs 40 crore—and transferred Rs 38.4 crore in hawala money to Dubai.

According to the DRI, Jain, who hails from Ballari and is now based in Bengaluru, played a key role in helping Ranya carry out these transactions.

(agency inputs)