Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 7: A special court in Bengaluru today ordered the extension of judicial custody for Kannada actress Ranya Rao, the primary accused in a significant gold smuggling case, until April 21st.
The special court handling economic offenses also ruled to extend the judicial custody of the second accused, Tarun Raju, and the third accused, jeweller Sahil Sakaria Jain, until the same date, April 21st. All individuals implicated in the case are currently held at the Bengaluru Central Jail.
While the court rejected the bail application submitted by Tarun Raju, it has scheduled the hearing for Jain's bail petition for April 9th.
Ranya Rao, who is the stepdaughter of senior police officer Ramchandra Rao, was apprehended on March 3rd on allegations of smuggling a substantial quantity of gold, amounting to 14.2 kilograms and valued at over Rs 12.56 crore.
The intricate case is presently under the joint scrutiny of multiple central agencies, including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Furthermore, the state government has formed a specialized investigative team, headed by a senior IAS officer, to examine the potential role of DGP Ramachandra Rao in the matter. Sources indicate that the team's report regarding this aspect has already been submitted to the government.
The ongoing investigation by the DRI into Ranya Rao's involvement in the gold smuggling operation has unearthed evidence suggesting her participation in hawala transactions in collusion with Sahil Sakaria Jain, the third accused in the case.
In its remand application submitted to the Special Court for Economic Offences concerning Jain's arrest, the DRI alleged the existence of a hawala nexus between the jeweller and Ranya Rao.
Investigations have reportedly revealed that, with the assistance of Jain, Ranya Rao facilitated the disposal of a significant 49.6 kilograms of gold and orchestrated the transfer of Rs 38.4 crore of hawala funds to Dubai.
The DRI stated in its application: "The investigations have indicated that Jain, hailing from Ballari and settled in Bengaluru, assisted and abetted Ranya Rao in disposing of 49.6 kilograms of gold worth around ?40 crore and transferring hawala money of Rs 38.4 crore to Dubai."