Karnataka: Bengaluru Court rejects Ranya Rao's bail plea in gold smuggling case
Mar 27, 2025
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 27 : The 64th CCH Sessions Court in Bengaluru has rejected the bail application of Ranya Rao in connection with a gold smuggling case. The court issued its order on Thursday.
Earlier today, gold dealer Sahil Jain, who allegedly helped actor Ranya Rao sell smuggled gold, was sent to DRI custody till March 29.
Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3 at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport after officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) found her carrying gold. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later filed an FIR based on a complaint by Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI.
The FIR was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, along with several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS). According to the complaint, two foreign nationals were arrested at Mumbai Airport on March 6 for attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold into India, valued at Rs. 18.92 crore.
According to the complaint, after Ranya Rao's arrest on March 3, two foreign nationals were also arrested on March 6 at the Mumbai airport for attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold into India worth Rs. 18.92 crore, as per the complaint.
The CBI has filed an FIR in the gold smuggling case on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI.
The FIR has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta. The complaint discloses the cognisable offences U/s 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 20148) r/w 61(2) of BNS.
Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI, in his complaint, has said that these cases involving passengers making trips from Dubai and attempting to smuggle gold in large quantities point to a "possible nexus" with a coordinated smuggling syndicate, possibly operating from Dubai (UAE).
In Ranya Rao's case, she travelled to Dubai multiple times, while the two arrested foreign nationals had previously arrived at the Mumbai airport multiple times.
Gupta, in his complaint, also suspected the possibility of the involvement of public servants and others.
