Latest news with #ConservationofForeignExchangeandPreventionofSmugglingActivitiesAct
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Hawala dealer Sahil Jain's uncle arrested by DRI in multi-crore gold smuggling case
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said Tuesday it has arrested a fourth person in connection with the gold smuggling case involving Kannada film actor Ranya Rao and Telugu actor Virat Konduru alias Tarun Konduru. According to DRI officials, Bharat Kumar Jain, a jewellery and hawala trader, was arrested in late July, and sent to 14 days of judicial custody. Bharat Kumar Jain is the uncle of Sahil Sakariya Jain, 27, a hawala dealer who is the third accused in the Bengaluru gold smuggling case that unravelled in March this year after the arrest of Ranya Rao, alias Harshavardhini Ranya, 33. Bharat Kumar Jain was involved in the distribution of the gold smuggled into India from Dubai by the two actors, and for hawala transfers of funds to facilitate the smuggling, DRI said after it presented him before a judge for special economic offences in Bengaluru. Sahil Jain and Bharat Jain have allegedly been found to be part of a sophisticated smuggling network operating in India and abroad. Gold smuggling case in Kolkata Sources said Bharat and Sahil were named in complaint filed by DRI under the Customs Act in a Kolkata magistrate's court on March 5, 2022, in a case involving smuggling of 41.64 kg of gold where they are alleged to have arranged couriers for the transport of large quantities of gold from the West Bengal capital to other cities in India like Mumbai and Raipur. Between 2019 and 2020, DRI received intelligence that a smuggling syndicate operating from Kolkata, Mumbai, and Raipur was smuggling foreign-marked gold from Bangladesh through the Indo-Bangladesh borders of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal. Based on the intelligence, DRI carried out operations to recover the smuggled gold and intercepted persons carrying smuggled gold in Kolkata, Raipur, and Mumbai, leading to the recovery of 41.64 kg of gold. One of the gold carriers, who was found with 6.98 kg of gold in Mumbai in December 2019, reported that the intended receiver of the gold was Sahil Jain, who was living in Mumbai at the time. He was arrested by DRI and found to be a key player in a major smuggling racket. Bengaluru gold smuggling case DRI has alleged Ranya Rao smuggled 49.6 kg of gold valued at over Rs 40 crore from Dubai between November 2024 and February 2025. This was apart from the 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore that was seized on March 3 by DRI at the Bengaluru airport. Rao is alleged to have handed over the gold to Sahil Jain, who paid for the consignments through hawala transfers of funds to Dubai and India. Sahil was arrested on March 26 by DRI after he was identified during investigations as the intended recipient of 14.2 kg of gold smuggled from Dubai by Rao in association with Konduru Raju. Ranya Rao, Virat Konduru, and Sahil Jain were ordered on April 22 by the Centre to be detained for a year under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA). The Cofeposa advisory board in Bengaluru recently confirmed their April 22 Cofeposa detention order.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, July 22, 1975: Antique dealer held in Bombay for thefts in T Nadu
Bombay, July 21: A notorious idol lifter and a hawker-turned millionaire, Bahadur Singh Teja Singh Lama, who was running two workshops in Bombay for manufacturing fake idols, was arrested by the Bombay Police under COFEPOSA yesterday under orders of the Maharashtra Government. Bahadur Singh Teja Singh had been earlier ordered by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Mr. S.C. Kotwal, to be released on a bail of Rs. 5 lakhs in connection with a case involving the theft of several idols from South Indian temples worth Rs. 1.5 crores. Following this the Additional Commissioner of Police, Mr. R.S. Kulkarni, moved the State Government for his arrest under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA). Bahadur Singh was running a moderu air conditioned emporium 'Kalimpong Art House' in a posh locality in Central Bombay, and two workshops called Handicraft Emporiums ostensibly for selling handicrafts, the Police said. But actually the workshops were manufacturing replicas of priceless South Indian temple idols which were to be substituted for the original idols with the connivance of temple priests. The original idols were in turn exported at fabulous prices, the police said. An Inspector and two Sub Inspectors of the Tamil Nadu Police who had come here to take away Bahadur Singh returned to Madras as they had been directed by the Bombay Police to get a Magistrate's order for taking him. Bahadur Singh has now been lodged in the Nasik Jail.
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Indian Express
Gold smuggling case: Actor Tarun Konduru's mother moves Karnataka HC against his detention under Cofeposa law
The mother of Telugu film actor Tarun Konduru, who was arrested in connection with the probe into the Bengaluru gold smuggling racket, has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to declare as illegal his detention for a year under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (Cofeposa). The plea is likely to be heard this week. Rama Rao, the mother of Tarun Konduru alias Virat Konduru, 36, moved the court with a habeas corpus petition last week after a judicial advisory board – which reviews detentions under the Cofeposa law – upheld an April 22 detention order of the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau under the Union Ministry of Finance. Rama has sought an order from the high court declaring the April 22 detention order 'illegal and void.' In May, a special court for economic offences had granted statutory bail to the actor and sureties were posted by the family for his release, but the Cofeposa detention has prevented it. Tarun has been lodged in a Bengaluru prison since March. Tarun, who is the son of a prominent Bengaluru businessman, was arrested on March 9 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after he was found to be linked to Kannada actress Ranya Rao alias Harshavardini Ranya, 33. The actress was arrested from Bengaluru airport on March 4 while smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai. Ranya, Konduru and a hawala agent Sahil Jain are alleged to have been part of a large racket which smuggled nearly 100 kg of gold into India within a span of 18 months. All three were detained under the Cofeposa law in April. Ranya's mother had approached the high court on May 12 with a habeas corpus petition for her release from Cofeposa detention. The plea is likely to be heard this week.
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Time of India
Ranya Rao jailed for gold smuggling under COFEPOSA; no bail for Kannada actor
Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been sentenced to one year in prison under the stringent COFEPOSA Act in connection with a gold smuggling case. The Advisory Board overseeing the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) recently ruled that she will not be eligible for bail throughout the duration of her detention. Previously, on May 20, a city court had granted default bail to both Ranya and her co-accused Tarun Raju, after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet within the required timeframe. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category MBA MCA Public Policy Management Data Science others Operations Management healthcare Technology Project Management CXO Leadership Cybersecurity Healthcare Product Management Data Analytics Degree Others Finance PGDM Artificial Intelligence Data Science Digital Marketing Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Financial Management Team Leadership & Collaboration Financial Reporting & Analysis Advocacy Strategies for Leadership Duration: 18 Months UMass Global Master of Business Administration (MBA) Starts on May 13, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Analytical Skills Financial Literacy Leadership and Management Skills Strategic Thinking Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Online MBA Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details However, despite the bail being sanctioned on a bond of ₹2 lakh along with surety conditions, both remained in custody due to a preventive detention order under COFEPOSA, which allows for detention of up to a year without formal charges, solely based on suspicion of smuggling. The case dates back to March, when Ranya arrived from Dubai and attempted to pass through the green channel at Kempegowda International Airport, which is designated for passengers with no dutiable goods. Her nervous demeanor raised suspicion among DRI officials, prompting a thorough search conducted by female officers. During the search, authorities recovered 14.2 kilograms of gold worth approximately ₹12.56 crore. She was taken into custody immediately. Live Events Ranya's prior attempts to secure bail were rejected multiple times—twice by local courts and later by the Karnataka High Court. [Inputs from PTI]
India.com
17-07-2025
- India.com
Who is Ranya Rao? Actress sent to jail for 1 year due to...
In a latest development, the three suspects, including Kannada actor Ranya Rao, have been jailed for 1 year in the infamous gold smuggling case. The decision came under the provision of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA). The advisory board under Section 8 of the Act has recommended that the provisions continue to apply to Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, and Sahil Sakariya Jain, a top source in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confirmed to DH on Thursday. 'This essentially means that Ranya and the other two suspects will remain in prison for at least a year, despite the lower court granting the two of them bail,' the well-placed source said. 'The board came to the decision, keeping in mind the evidence against the suspects, and communicated it to the investigators on Thursday.'
