Ranya Rao's mother challenges detention under smuggling law

Hindustan Times

16-05-2025

The mother of Kannada film actor Ranya Rao, arrested in a high-profile gold smuggling case, has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking relief from a preventive detention order issued under the stringent Cofeposa Act.
HP Rohini, who filed the habeas corpus petition on Thursday, has asked the court to declare that any detention of her daughter under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act would be legally untenable. The matter came up for hearing before a vacation bench of Justices H P Sandesh and Ramachandra Huddar. 'The Centre is expected to file its response when the case resumes on June 3,' said an official in the know of the development.
Ranya Rao was taken into custody on March 3 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly bringing in 14.2 kilograms of foreign-origin gold from Dubai through Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport. Officials estimate the value of the seized consignment at ₹12.56 crore and claim that the accused attempted to evade customs duties totalling ₹4.83 crore by taping the gold to her body using bandages.
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The Ministry of Finance, acting on a request from the DRI, issued a detention order through its Central Economic Intelligence Bureau on April 22. If enforced, the Cofeposa order would allow the authorities to hold Rao and her co-accused in custody for up to one year without regular judicial proceedings, even if they were to be granted bail.
Earlier in April, the karnataka high court issued a notice to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) over the bail application filed by Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who is currently in judicial custody for her alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case.
Ranya Rao, listed as the first accused in the case, was arrested on March 3 at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. DRI officials claimed to have seized 14.2 kilograms of gold bars valued at ₹12.5 crore from her possession upon her arrival from Dubai. The agency said the gold, if imported legally, would have attracted import duties worth ₹4.83 crore under the current 38.5% rate.
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Rao, who is also the stepdaughter of Karnataka's Director General of Police K Ramachandra Rao, had earlier been denied bail by the Karnataka High Court. Her alleged accomplice, Telugu actor Tarun Konduru Raju, also remains in custody after his bail plea was rejected. According to the DRI, both actors were in the UAE at the same time, but Raju returned to Hyderabad while Rao landed in Bengaluru, where the smuggling was detected.
Following her arrest, two other individuals have also been taken into custody in connection with the case—Tarun Raju, identified as the second accused, and Sahil Jain, listed as the third accused. All three are presently under judicial custody, with their remand extended until April 21.
The development comes as on Monday, a Bengaluru Sessions Court also denied bail to Tarun Raju, upholding the earlier decision of the Magistrate Court. His plea was filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, but the court found no justification to overturn the previous order.
Raju was arrested on March 10, a week after Rao's arrest, with officials confirming that he had accompanied her on a trip to Dubai prior to the alleged smuggling attempt.