ranya-rao-to-stay-jailed-for-a-year-in-gold-smuggling-case

The three accused in the high-profile gold smuggling case, including Kannada actor Ranya Rao, will remain behind bars for at least a year under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA).

 

An advisory board under Section 8 of the Act has recommended that the stringent provisions continue to apply to Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, and Sahil Sakariya Jain, a senior official with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confirmed on Thursday.

 

“This essentially means that Ranya and the other two suspects will remain in prison for at least a year, despite the lower court granting the two of them bail,” the official told the local media.

 

“The board made the recommendation after considering the evidence and conveyed its decision to investigators on Thursday.”

 

Ranya, 33, was arrested on 3 March after she landed in Bengaluru from Dubai. According to the DRI, she was caught carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore.

 

Raju, 36, was taken into custody on 9 March, six days after Ranya’s arrest. The DRI said he was closely associated with Ranya and allegedly acted as her partner in the smuggling operation.

 

Jain, 27, a jeweller from Ballari, was picked up on 26 March for allegedly helping Ranya dispose of 49 kg of gold worth Rs 40.13 crore and for his role in managing hawala transactions linked to the racket.

 

On 20 May, the Special Court for Economic Offences granted bail to Ranya and Raju on personal bonds of Rs 2 lakh each with two sureties. However, they remain lodged at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru as the Central government invoked the COFEPOSA Act on 22 April against all three.

 

The Act allows detention without bail for nearly a year to prevent smuggling activities. “The board will meet as required to decide whether the provisions under the Act should continue,” the DRI official said.

 

Meanwhile, Ranya’s mother has moved the Karnataka High Court challenging her detention under the preventive detention law.