The Karnataka High Court has rejected the bail applications of Kannada actress Ranya Rao and Telugu actor Tarun Konduru Raju, both arrested in a major gold smuggling operation.
Justice S Vishwajith Shetty delivered the verdict on Saturday, with a detailed order awaited. Rao was arrested on March 3 at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials found 14.2 kg of gold in her possession upon her return from Dubai. Raju was apprehended a week later, on March 10.
During the hearing, Rao’s lawyer insisted she was “wrongly accused,” while DRI’s counsel revealed that their investigation had uncovered 100 kg of gold smuggled by the duo from Dubai.
The court questioned how Rao accessed VIP protocol and police escort at the airport. DRI responded that the matter is still under probe.
DRI also noted that Rao had falsely declared she had “nothing to declare” while passing through the green channel. Further investigation showed that Rao and Raju had made 26 trips together in just three months, with Rao reportedly making 56 trips to Dubai since 2023.
In a significant move, the COFEPOSA Act—a strict anti-smuggling law—has been invoked by the Union Government, making Rao ineligible for bail for at least one year. This provision also applies to co-accused Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain, all currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison.
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