Jurors say they can’t agree on any more counts — Actress sentenced to 1 year behind bars for gold smuggling. All you need to know.
Who is Ranya Rao?
- Real Name: Harshavardhini Ranya
- Stage Name: Ranya Rao
- Profession: Indian actress and model
- Industry: Primarily worked in the Kannada film industry
- Debut Film: Maanikya (2014, Kannada)
Why is there a fuss about her?
- Ranya Rao has been accused in a gold smuggling case.
- She was sentenced to 1 year in prison under the COFEPOSA Act (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act).
- Two other individuals are also involved in the case.
No Bail for Ranya?
- The Advisory Board of COFEPOSA ruled that Ranya Rao cannot be released on bail during the detention period.
- However, default bail was granted by a Bengaluru court on May 20, as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet in time.
Why is she still in custody?
- Despite the bail granted on a bond of ₹2 lakh and surety,
Ranya Rao and co-accused Tarun Raju remain in jail. - This is due to preventive detention under COFEPOSA, which allows custody without formal charges for up to one year if smuggling is suspected.
Who are the other accused?
Along with Ranya Rao, the other two accused are:
- Tarun Konduru Raju (alias Virat Konduru)
- Sahil Sakariya Jain
A senior DRI officer confirmed that the Advisory Board has recommended continued restrictions on all three under Section 8 of the COFEPOSA Act.
What was the matter about?
- In March, Ranya arrived at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, from Dubai.
- She used the green channel (meant for passengers carrying no dutiable goods).
- Her tense behavior raised suspicion among DRI officials.
- A female-led strip search was conducted when she acted suspiciously.
What did the authorities discover?
- The search resulted in recovery of 14.2 kg gold, worth approximately ₹12.56 crore.
- She was immediately taken into custody.
- Her earlier bail applications were:
- Rejected twice by lower courts
- Rejected once by the High Court of Karnataka
