A sessions court in Bengaluru has rejected Kannada actor Ranya Rao's bail petition for the second time in the gold smuggling case. The actor was arrested on March 3 on charges of smuggling gold from Dubai
On March 14, Rao's bail application was rejected as well in the Economic Offences Court in a gold smuggling case. As reported by news agency ANI, the second accused in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, Tarun Konduru, filed a bail application in the Economic Offences court.
All About The Case
On March 3, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) apprehended Ranya Rao at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) with 14.8 kilograms of gold worth rupees 12.56 crore. After a preliminary investigation, the authorities alleged that the gold bars were smuggled from Dubai.
Following her arrest, police teams also raided her Lavelle Road apartment and recovered more gold. Police suspected that Ranya took advantage of her stepfather's official designation in bypassing scrutiny at customs in the airport.
On March 4, Ranya was produced before a special court for financial offences where she was remanded to judicial custody until March 18. As per reports, Ranya made four trips to Dubai within a span of 15 days which points to her possible involvement in a larger smuggling network.
IPS Father Ordered Airport Protocol Clearance: Report
Basavaraj, the protocol officer who assisted her in getting clearance at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, alleged that he only followed Ranya's stepfather and Karnataka DGP Ramachandra Rao's direct instruction, as per a report by India Today.
Moreover, a Times of India report also suggested that the investigating agency Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) also revealed that the actress had managed to clear immigration and the Green Channel with assistance from the State Protocol Office.
