Latest news with #ConservationofForeignExchangeandPreventionofSmugglingActivities
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
I-T officials to record Ranya Rao's statement in Bengaluru Central Prison
Bengaluru: A special court for economic offences in the city Wednesday permitted income-tax officials to record the statement of Sandalwood actor , who is in Bengaluru Central Prison after being arrested in a gold-smuggling case. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The special court, in its order, said I-T officials could record her statements between Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 5pm. According to the order, "The applicants (IT officials) shouldn't ill-treat the accused. The applicants should videograph the entire interrogation with intimation to the accused. The accused should extend full cooperation to the interrogation," the special court observed. Ranya, daughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport after she landed from Dubai. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths had seized 14.2kg of gold bars strapped to her body. Though the high court granted her bail last month, she was forced to remain in jail because the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act, 1974, has been invoked against her by the Centre.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Mint
Kannada actress Ranya Rao gets bail in gold smuggling case, but to remain in custody under stringent law
Gold smuggling case: The Economic Offences Court in Bengaluru on Tuesday granted default bail to Kannada actress Ranya Rao and co-accused Tarun Kondaraju in connection with a gold smuggling case. However, the actress is likely to remain in custody under a stringent anti-smuggling law. They were granted bail on two sureties each and a ₹ 2 lakh bond. The court also imposed strict conditions — they cannot leave the country and must not commit a similar crime. The court issued a stern warning, noting that any breach of these conditions would lead to the cancellation of their bail. Ranya's lawyer, BS Girish, argued that the actress will not be released even if she gets bail, as a case has been registered against her under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act, 1974. The stringent charges were applied after multiple attempts were made by the accused to secure bail. Authorities said that it was necessary to prevent her from resuming illicit activities, citing her lack of cooperation during the investigation. Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of senior police officer K Ramchandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kilogrammes of gold valued at over ₹ 12.56 crore. The Karnataka government has formed a special team, led by a senior IAS officer, to probe the potential involvement of DGP Ramchandra Rao in the smuggling racket. She is currently lodged at the Bengaluru central prison along with two others — Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain — who have also been booked under the COFEPOSA Act. The case is being investigated jointly by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the CBI. Last month, Ranya Rao told the Karnataka High Court that the search and seizure carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) violated provisions of the Customs Act. Senior advocate Sandesh J Chouta, representing Ranya, argued that the search was conducted in violation of Section 102 of the Customs Act, which mandates that any person being searched has the right to be taken before a magistrate or a gazetted customs officer. Chouta told the court that the grounds of arrest were not formally communicated to Ranya's family members in writing, as required under the law. The actress was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after authorities seized gold bars worth ₹ 12.56 crore from her possession.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- The Hindu
Kannada actress Ranya Rao gets bail in gold smuggling case, but will stay in jail under COFEPOSA case
The Special Court of Economic Offences on Tuesday granted the statutory bail to gold smuggling suspects Kannada actor Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru Raju. The court stated that the two were entitled to default bail on executing a personal bond of ₹2 lakh each along with two sureties each. The court further directed the two to appear before it on all dates of hearing without fail, not tamper with or hamper witnesses, co-operate with the investigation, not leave the country without prior permission from the court, and not commit similar offences in the future. Any violations of the conditions imposed by this court will result in the cancellation of bail, the order stated citing bail condition. Earlier in the month, the Ranya and Raju moved the court for the statutory bail after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to submit a charge sheet within 60 days of the probe. Ranya (33) was arrested on March 3 after she flew into Bengaluru from Dubai. According to the DRI, she was found carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore on her person. Raju and Sahil Sakariya Jain, the third suspect and the jeweller from Ballari, were subsequently arrested. All three are currently lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. Even though she is granted bail, Ranya's release is unlikely since on April 22, the Centre had invoked the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act against all three, including Ranya. The law provides for the detention of a suspect for nearly a year without bail. Earlier in the month, Ranya's mother moved the Karnataka High Court challenging her detention under the COFEPOSA Act. The hearing was adjourned to June 3 as the court directed the Centre to file objections.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Ranya Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju get bail in gold smuggling case but to remain in prison
A Bengaluru court Tuesday granted statutory bail to Kannada actor Ranya Rao and Telugu actor Virat Konduru alias Tarun Konduru Raju in a high-profile gold smuggling case. However, their release from jail appears unlikely in the near future as the Centre has charged them under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act. The Special Court for Economic Offences ruled that the duo is entitled to default bail, citing the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)'s failure to file a chargesheet within 60 days of arrest. The court granted bail on the condition that each executes a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties. 'It is made clear that any violation of the conditions imposed by this court will result in the cancellation of bail,' the court observed and asked them to appear for all the hearings without fail in the bail conditions. As part of the bail conditions, the court instructed Ranya and Raju to refrain from tampering with evidence or witnesses, cooperate fully with the investigation, avoid leaving the country without prior permission, and not commit similar offences. Ranya Rao, 33, is accused of smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai. She was arrested on March 3 at the Bengaluru airport and found in possession of 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at Rs 12.56 crore. She was allegedly attempting to evade customs duty to the tune of Rs 4.83 crore by strapping the gold on her body using bandages. Raju and a Ballari-based jeweller, Sahil Sakariya Jain, were also arrested later in connection with the smuggling operation. All three are lodged at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. On April 22, the Union government invoked the COFEPOSA Act provisions against them. This act permits preventive detention for up to one year without trial. Meanwhile, Ranya's mother has approached the Karnataka High Court, challenging her daughter's detention under the COFEPOSA Act. The matter has been adjourned to June 3, with the court asking the Centre to file its objections. The Karnataka High Court had previously declined to grant Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru Raju bail. Raju had travelled to the UAE at the same time as Rao but returned to Hyderabad instead of Bengaluru, according to the DRI that arrested the two actors.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Indian Express
Kannada actress Ranya Rao seeks statutory bail in gold smuggling case at the end of 60-day DRI probe period
Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested in an alleged gold smuggling case in March, has moved court for statutory bail by citing that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has not filed a charge sheet 60 days after her arrest. Ranya Rao, stepdaughter of senior Karnataka IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, filed an application before a special court for economic offences on May 5 under Section 187 (3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita that allows bail to an accused person at the end of the investigation period, which is 60 days in Customs Act cases. The DRI has not objected to the application for statutory bail by Rao, who was arrested at the Bengaluru International Airport on March 3, on her arrival from Dubai with 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore allegedly strapped on her body. The DRI has, however, indicated to the special court that investigations are still underway and a prosecution complaint would be filed in due course. It has also indicated to the court that the Central Government has invoked the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (Cofeposa) Act, 1974, against Ranya Rao and two associates to keep them under detention for a year. The special court has posted the plea for statutory bail for orders on May 12. Rao's associate and Telugu film actor Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, 36, was arrested on March 9, and Sahil Sakariya Jain, 26, the hawala dealer who helped the actors sell the smuggled gold, was arrested on March 26. The grant of statutory bail for Ranya Rao at the end of 60 days for investigations by the DRI will not impact the detention of the actor and her associates since they have been detained under the Cofeposa Act through an order passed by the Central Government in April, DRI sources said. Earlier, the Karnataka High Court, the sessions court, and the special court for economic offences had rejected the bail pleas filed by the two actors during the period of investigations by the DRI. \The DRI has indicated the role of a larger smuggling network during the bail proceedings of the actors. '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 Vishwajith Shetty of the Karnataka HC said in an April 26 order, rejecting the bail for the actors. The High Court pointed to the huge quantity of gold that has been allegedly smuggled – over 100 kg according to the DRI arguments in the HC, and the extension of government facilities like VIP protocols to Ranya Rao to reject bail. The DRI investigations after Rao's arrest revealed that she was allegedly assisted in passing the gold through Dubai customs by Tarun Konduru Raju by using his US citizen credentials, and that the smuggled gold was handed over to Sahil Jain in India for disposal. The DRI has claimed to have found evidence, through customs declarations and investigations of the accused, of 11 of 34 trips undertaken by the actors to Dubai in 2024-25 involving gold smuggling. The quantum of gold smuggled has been estimated to be over 100 kg by the DRI in arguments in the High Court. An order for the detention of Rao and her associates under the Cofeposa Act was issued by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Finance on April 22 to prevent their involvement in further gold smuggling activities. The Cofeposa Act detention order effectively means that Rao, Konduru and Jain will remain in prison for up to a year, even if they are granted statutory bail at the end of the 60-day investigation period in Customs Act cases.
