Kannada actress Ranya Rao moves Sessions Court for bail in gold smuggling case

BENGALURU: Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested in a gold smuggling case last week, approached the Sessions Court in Bengaluru for bail. Her move came after the Special Court for Economic Offences here denied her bail.

While denying the bail to Ranya Rao, the Special Court for Economic Offences said that the charges against the actress were serious. She was arrested on March 3 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) in Bengaluru for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kilograms of gold from Dubai.

The CBI has filed an FIR in the gold smuggling case on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI. The FIR has been registered under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta. The complaint discloses the cognizable offences U/s 7 and 12 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 20148) r/w 61(2) of BNS.

According to the complaint, after Ranya Rao’s arrest on March 3, two foreign nationals were also arrested on March 6 from Mumbai airport for attempting to smuggle 21.28 Kg of gold into India worth Rs. 18.92 crores, as per the complaint.

Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI, in his complaint has said that these cases involving passengers making trips from Dubai and attempting to smuggle gold in large quantities points to a “possible nexus” with coordinated smuggling syndicate, possibly operating from Dubai (UAE).

In Ranya Rao’s case, she travelled to Dubai multiple times while the two arrested foreign nationals have previously arrived Mumbai airport multiple times. Gupta in his complaint has also suspected the possibility of involvement of public servants and others.

“The above two cases detected in quick succession involving passengers making trips from Dubai, the attempted smuggling of large quantities of gold into India and the high frequency of these visits involving Indian and foreign nationals, points to a possible nexus with coordinated smuggling syndicate, possibly operating from Dubai (UAE). This may have larger national and international ramifications. The possibility of involvement of unknown public servants of the Govt. of India and unknown others, with such coordinated network, needs to be investigated,” the complaint said.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has filed objections to the bail application of Tarun Konduru, a co-accused in the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao. The DRI requested the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru not to grant bail to Konduru who is accused number -2 in the case.

The CBI has filed an FIR in the gold smuggling case on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI. According to the complaint, after Ranya Rao’s arrest on March 3, two foreign nationals were also arrested on March 6 from Mumbai airport for attempting to smuggle 21.28 Kg of gold into India worth Rs. 18.92 crore.

Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI, in his complaint has said that these cases involving passengers making trips from Dubai and attempting to smuggle gold in large quantities points to a “possible nexus” with coordinated smuggling syndicate, possibly operating from Dubai (UAE). (ANI)