Ranya Rao's Bail Plea Rejected By Court In Gold Smuggling Case
Kannada actor Ranya Rao’s bail petition was rejected by the special court for economic offences in gold smuggling case, citing the seriousness of charges against her.
The court led by Justice Vishwanath Gowdar agreed with the prosecution that the actor should continue to be in judicial custody.She was earlier remanded to a 14-day judicial custody after she was arrested at the airport on March 4. The second accused, Tarun Raju, was sent to 15-day judicial custody.
Gold bars valued at Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya Rao at the Bengaluru Airport. Subsequently, officials conducted searches at her properties, recovering gold jewelry worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash.
Ranya, arrested in a gold smuggling case, initially sought bail from the Magistrate Court, but her plea was denied. She then moved the Special Court for Economic Offences, where her request was rejected again.
Following these setbacks, her legal team is now preparing to approach the Sessions Court for relief. Until a decision is reached on her bail application, she will continue to be in judicial custody.The Enforcement Directorate initiated an investigation into the case.Ranya Rao purchased round-trip tickets from Bengaluru to Dubai using her husband Jatin Hukkeri’s credit card, raising suspicions about his possible involvement in the gold smuggling case.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) subsequently conducted searches at nine locations in Bengaluru linked to Hukkeri. Meanwhile, he obtained an interim order from the Karnataka High Court, preventing the DRI from arresting him.