Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 10: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday postponed the hearing of the bail plea filed by Sandalwood actress Ranya Rao to April 17, while directing the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to file its objections in the matter.

Ranya Rao, who is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer and Karnataka DGP K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested on charges of attempting to smuggle gold through Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

Presently, the actress remains in judicial custody at the central prison on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The Special Court for Economic Offences had earlier remanded her to custody till April 21. Along with her, the court also extended the judicial custody of co-accused Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain, a jeweller by profession, until the same date.

Ranya Rao was taken into custody on March 3 after the DRI unearthed a gold smuggling racket involving 14.2 kg of gold, valued at over Rs 12.56 crore. The probe has since expanded with the involvement of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In a significant development, the state government has constituted a special inquiry team headed by a senior IAS officer to probe the alleged involvement of DGP Ramachandra Rao. According to sources, a report on the matter has already been submitted to the government for further action.

DRI investigations have further uncovered that Ranya Rao had allegedly been involved in hawala operations, working in tandem with Sahil Jain. In a remand note submitted to the court, the DRI stated that Jain, a native of Ballari now residing in Bengaluru, helped Rao in disposing of 49.6 kg of gold and in facilitating hawala transactions amounting to Rs 38.4 crore to Dubai.

The investigation continues to unravel deeper financial links, as authorities tighten their probe into one of the most high-profile gold smuggling cases to rock the state in recent times.