Kannada actor Ranya Rao who was earlier detained from Bengaluru airport earlier this year, has been sentenced to one year in prison in a gold smuggling case. The court also denied her bail plea, noting that her bail pleas would not be filed
Ranya Rao
Kannada film actor Ranya Rao has faced prison and will reportedly spend up to a year in jail. The actor was sentenced to one year in prison under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), for her connection to a gold smuggling case. The Advisory Board handling the matter ordered that the actor will not be granted bail during the entire term of her detention.
Ranya Rao's bail plea denied
The board on Thursday, July 17, issued directions not to allow the jailed actress to file a bail petition for one year from the date of her arrest as per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act. The Advisory Board also directed the DRI that no bail application should be filed on behalf of Ranya. Following the directive, the information was conveyed by the DRI to the jail authorities.
The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), a nodal agency under the Ministry of Finance, invoked the COFEPOSA Act against the actress and other accused in the gold smuggling case. This was based on a recommendation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is currently investigating the gold smuggling case. As per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act, she will have to remain in custody for up to one year.
Notably, earlier on May 20, Ranya was granted default bail by a court in Bengaluru. Along with Ranya, co-accused Tarun Raju was also granted bail after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet within the legally mandated time frame of 60 days. Even though the two were granted bail on a Rs 2 lakh bond and surety conditions, both Ranya Rao and Tarun Raju remained in custody. This was due to the preventive detention order under COFEPOSA The order allows for detention of individuals for up to one year, even without formal charges, based on suspicion of smuggling activities.
Taking cognisance of the development, the Advisory Board, the statutory body within the DRI, looked into the matter and upheld the invoking of the Special Act against Ranya Rao.
The COFEPOSA advisory board under Section 8 of the Act recommended that the provisions remain in place for Ranya Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, as well as Sahil Sakariya Jain, as confirmed to Deccan Herald by a top Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) source.
The source said, "This essentially means that Ranya and the other two suspects will remain in prison for at least a year, despite the lower court granting them bail. The board came to the decision, keeping in mind the evidence against the suspects."
About the gold smuggling case
In March, Harshavardini Ranya aka Ranya Rao arrived at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru from Dubai. Upon landing, she walked through the green channel, which is typically for passengers without dutiable items. Ranya was arrested on March 3 after she was found carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore on her, according to the DRI.
During the questioning by DRI officials, she reportedly appeared anxious when asked whether she had any undeclared items. Her suspicious behaviour led the authorities to conduct a detailed search by female officers, who found the 14.2 kilograms of gold on her. She was immediately taken into custody. Notably, Ranya Rao’s earlier bail applications were also turned down, twice by local courts and later by the High Court of Karnataka.
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