Actress Ranya Rao jailed for gold smuggling under COFEPOSA; no bail allowed
Bengaluru, Jul 17 (PTI): Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment under the stringent COFEPOSA, in connection with a gold smuggling case.
The Advisory Board handling the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) matter recently ruled that Rao will not be granted bail during the entire term of her detention.
Rao was earlier granted default bail on May 20 by a city court, along with her co-accused Tarun Raju, after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet within the legally mandated timeframe.
Despite the bail being granted on a Rs 2 lakh bond and surety conditions, both Ranya and Tarun continued to remain in custody due to the preventive detention order under COFEPOSA, which permits detention for up to one year even without formal charges, based on suspicion of smuggling activities.
In March, Ranya Rao arrived at from Dubai and attempted to pass through the Kempegowda International Airport's green channel, typically reserved for passengers without dutiable items.
She appeared anxious when questioned by DRI officials about whether she had any undeclared items. Her suspicious behavior prompted the authorities to conduct a detailed search by female officers.
A total of 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately Rs 12.56 crore, was recovered from her and she was immediately taken into custody.
Ranya's earlier bail applications were turned down, twice by local courts and later by the Karnataka High Court.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
