Gold smuggling: Bengaluru Special Court rejects bail plea of jailed actress Ranya Rao

Bengaluru: The Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru on Friday rejected the bail petition of jailed actress Ranya Rao in connection with the gold smuggling case. Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer DGP K. Ramachandra Rao and the case has made national headlines.

The Judge Vishwanath C Goudar passed the order considering the submission by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Meanwhile, the second accused in the case Tarun Raju’s counsel submitted the bail petition before the court and the DRI was asked to submit its objections.

The court has passed the order considering the seriousness of the case. The DRI earlier submitted to the court that the gold smuggling case involving Ranya Rao has international and hawala links, making it a matter of national security.

Madhu Rao, senior counsel representing the DRI, argued against Ranya Rao’s bail petition in court on Wednesday, stating that an investigation into the involvement of a smuggling syndicate is necessary.

He emphasised that national security concerns and suspected hawala transactions are also being probed.

“If we consider the criminal intent behind the case, jail is the appropriate place for her. The court should not grant bail merely on the grounds that the accused is a woman,” Rao stated.

He further argued that the case involves international links and smuggling carried out with the help of a protocol police officer.

“It needs to be investigated how the money was transferred and how funds were arranged to purchase the seized gold,” he said.

The counsel also pointed out that Ranya Rao possesses an identity card showing her as a resident of Dubai, which increases the risk of her fleeing the country.

“There is no valid reason to grant her bail, especially considering that she has smuggled gold worth Rs 12.56 crore. Additionally, Rs 2.67 crore in cash and Rs 2.06 crore worth of gold have already been seized. On March 4, her residence was searched, and her arrest followed due legal procedure in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines,” he submitted.

The DRI, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are investigating the syndicate in gold smuggling and international connections. The authorities are also probing police lapses and collusion of authorities in the customs and Karnataka Police department.

The state government has entrusted the probe to find out the role of DGP Ramachandra Rao to Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta and asked him to submit the report within a week. The state government’s move to withdraw the investigation by the special wing CID has raised questions.

Reacting to the case, Tamil Nadu BJP chief and former IPS officer from Karnataka, K. Annamalai stated in Bengaluru on Friday, “Let the probe be completed in the case. At least, the officers have made arrests in the case. There are allegations of big personalities and misuse of VVIP protocol. Let the investigation be completed. I have not been able to understand, why the state government first ordered a CID investigation only to withdraw it later.”

IANS