Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) for her alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case.

The Advisory Board, overseeing matters under COFEPOSA, ruled recently that Rao will not be granted bail during the entire duration of her preventive detention.

Earlier court granted bail, but detention continued

On May 20, a city court had granted default bail to Ranya Rao and her co-accused Tarun Raju, after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet within the prescribed time limit.

The bail had been granted with a bond of Rs 2 lakh and required sureties. However, despite this relief, both Rao and Raju remained in custody due to the preventive detention order under COFEPOSA, which allows detention for up to one year without formal charges, based on reasonable suspicion of involvement in smuggling.

Gold worth over Rs 12 crore seized at airport

The case stems from an incident in March when Ranya Rao arrived from Dubai and attempted to pass through the green channel at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, which is designated for passengers not carrying dutiable goods.

Rao reportedly appeared anxious when questioned by DRI officials about undeclared items, prompting a detailed search by female officers. Authorities recovered 14.2 kilograms of gold valued at around Rs 12.56 crore, leading to her immediate arrest.

Bail attempts rejected by courts and High Court

Ranya Rao’s initial bail pleas were rejected twice by local courts. A subsequent appeal to the Karnataka High Court was also turned down, reinforcing the stringent legal response under COFEPOSA provision

With PTI inputs