Bengaluru, July 17: Kannada actor Ranya Rao and two others accused in a high-profile gold smuggling case will remain in judicial custody for at least one year under the stringent provisions of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), 1974.
An advisory board constituted under Section 8 of the Act has upheld the Centre's decision to invoke preventive detention against Ranya Rao (also known as Harshavardini Ranya), Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, and jeweller Sahil Sakariya Jain. A senior official from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confirmed this to Deccan Herald on Thursday.
“This effectively means all three will remain in custody for up to a year, despite the lower court having granted bail to Ranya and Raju,” the official said, adding that the board’s decision was based on strong evidence presented during the probe.
Ranya, 33, was arrested by the DRI on March 3 upon her arrival in Bengaluru from Dubai. She was allegedly caught with 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at ₹12.56 crore. Her associate Raju, 36, was nabbed on March 9, followed by Jain, 27, a Ballari-based jeweller, on March 26. Jain is accused of aiding in hawala transactions and helping dispose of 49 kg of smuggled gold worth ₹40.13 crore.
On May 20, the Special Court for Economic Offences granted bail to Ranya and Raju against a personal bond of ₹2 lakh each and two sureties. However, the duo continues to remain behind bars in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail as the Central Government invoked COFEPOSA against them on April 22, superseding the court’s bail order.
The DRI official stated that the advisory board will periodically review the case to decide whether continued detention under the Act is warranted.
Meanwhile, Ranya’s mother has challenged her daughter’s detention in the Karnataka High Court.
