Bengaluru, March 27 — A sessions court in Bengaluru on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, in connection with a gold smuggling case.
The prosecution stated that Ranya admitted to using hawala channels to fund gold purchases. During the hearing, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) lawyer Madhu Rao revealed that Ranya and her aide, Tarun Raj, made around 26 trips to Dubai, often flying out in the morning and returning the same evening. “Before her arrest, she even booked a flight ticket for Raj, who handed over the gold to her in Dubai,” Rao told the court.
Ranya was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 after authorities seized gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore from her upon her arrival from Dubai. The investigation led to raids at her residence, where officials recovered gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and ₹2.67 crore in Indian currency.
Officials claim Ranya handed over the smuggled gold to a merchant named Sahil Jain, who was arrested by the DRI on Wednesday. With Jain’s arrest, the total number of people held in the case has risen to three.
Authorities have issued a notice to initiate a judicial investigation, expecting it to uncover further financial irregularities.
