Economic offences threaten the economy: Karnataka HC while rejecting bail pleas of Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru in Bengaluru gold smuggling case

Indian Express

28-04-2025

The Karnataka High Court has said economic offences tend to be grave as they are a threat to the country's economy, unlike conventional crimes that affect individuals or groups, while rejecting the bail pleas of actors Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru, who were arrested in March in the Bengaluru gold smuggling case.
Justice Vishwajit Shetty rejected the bail pleas of Ranya Rao alias Harshavardini Ranya, 33, and her associate Tarun Konduru alias Virat Konduru, 36, on April 26, citing the danger of economic offences, the huge quantity of gold smuggled by the actors, and government facilities accorded to Rao at the Bengaluru airport.
'Unlike conventional crimes, which affect individuals or specific groups, economic offences have the potential to threaten the stability of the national economy. Economic offences are grave and they always pose a threat to the health of the economy of the country,' Justice Vishwajit Shetty said while rejecting the bail petitions of the two actors.
'The modus operandi of the accused, the number of their visits to Dubai, and filing false declarations in Dubai customs on all such visits by the accused to Dubai, raises a serious doubt that in all the earlier visits also chances of gold smuggling cannot be ruled out. Therefore, merely for the reason that the alleged offences are compoundable and punishable with imprisonment up to seven years, bail cannot be granted as a thumb rule,' Justice Shetty said in his 28-page order.
The high court also pointed to the huge quantity of gold allegedly smuggled, over 100 kg according to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), and the extension of government facilities like VIP protocols to Ranya Rao, the step-daughter of senior Karnataka IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao, to reject their bail.
'Considering the manner in which accused no.1 has managed to smuggle huge quantity of gold to India, for which she has also made use of the Government facilities provided to her, and since investigation of the case is still under progress, the benefit of the proviso to Section 480 of BNSS, 2023, cannot be extended to her at this stage,' Justice Shetty ruled.
'Accused no 1 is said to be a cine star, who is provided protocol and a government vehicle, which would prima facie go to show her high connections. Accused no 2 is said to be a citizen of the US. Therefore, the chances of accused 1 and 2 fleeing away from justice also cannot be completely ruled out at this stage,' Justice Shetty said.
Justice Shetty said there is the possibility of involvement of more people in the smuggling racket on account of the government facilities extended to Ranya Rao at the Bengaluru International Airport.
The Karnataka High Court referred to a statement by Basavaraj, a police constable who was escorting Ranya Rao at the airport, and a police car driver, Prakash B, in its order to deny bail to the actors. 'The statement of Prakash B, the driver of the government vehicle which was used by accused no.1, was also recorded by the Investigation Officer, which would prima facie go to show that accused no.1 was facilitated with an escort and a government vehicle,' the HC noted.
'The material on record would further go to show that Basavaraj has stated that he was asked by his Senior Officer Ramachandra Rao (DGP) to assist his family members and relatives by extending protocol during their arrival and departure and it is in this manner he was providing protocol assistance to accused no.1 since past few years. Therefore, as rightly contended by the learned Counsel for the prosecution, involvement of others in the present case cannot be completely ruled out,' the court said.
The HC also rejected the arguments of the advocates for the actors that DRI did not comply with the mandated search and arrest process during the interception of Ranya Rao.
Ranya Rao was intercepted by DRI at the Bengaluru International Airport on arrival from Dubai on March 3, 2025, with 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹ 12.56 crore concealed on her person. After her arrest, the DRI investigations showed that Ranya Rao was assisted in passing the gold through Dubai customs by Virat Konduru by using his US citizen credentials and that the smuggled gold was handed to a hawala businessman, Sahil Jain, in India for disposal.
On April 22, the Centre issued orders for the detention of Ranya Rao, Konduru, and Jain under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (Cofeposa) Act. The detention order means that Ranya Rao, Konduru and Jain will remain in prison for up to a year.
DRI told the Karnataka high court that the three were part of a gold smuggling syndicate which had smuggled 100 kg of gold into India since 2024 — apart from the 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore that was seized on March 3 when Ranya Rao was intercepted.
DRI has claimed to have found evidence through customs declarations and investigations of the accused of as many as 11 of 34 trips undertaken by the actors to Dubai in 2024-25 involving smuggling of gold.