Kannada actress Ranya Rao denied bail in gold smuggling case; judicial probe ordered
Bengaluru, Mar 27 (PTI): A sessions court in Bengaluru on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao in the gold smuggling case.
According to the prosecution, Ranya admitted to using hawala channels to facilitate gold purchases.
In response, the authorities have issued a notice to initiate a judicial investigation, which they believe will uncover further financial irregularities.
The case also involves Tarun Raj, an aide of the actor, who has been named as the second accused.
Officials claim that Ranya handed over the smuggled gold to a merchant named Sahil Jain, who was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to three.
During the hearing, DRI lawyer Madhu Rao revealed that Ranya and Raj made approximately 26 trips to Dubai together, often departing in the morning and returning the same evening. Before her arrest, the actor allegedly booked a flight ticket for Raj, who then handed over the gold to her in Dubai.
Gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya, the step-daughter of DGP rank officer K Ramachandra Rao at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 upon her arrival from Dubai.
Following this, searches were conducted at her residence, where officials recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
Senior IPS officer Ramchandra Rao has also been questioned in connection with the case.
Following these developments, the Karnataka government placed him on compulsory leave on March 15, effective immediately and until further notice.
Investigators alleged that Ranya misused her stepfather’s name and exploited security protocols meant for high-ranking officials to bypass airport checks.
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Debutant Kumar, Rickleton shine as MI beat KKR by 8 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Debutant Ashwani Kumar's 4 for 24 and Ryan Rickelton's unbeaten 62 handed Mumbai Indians a comfortable eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match here on Monday.
Opting to bowl, MI rode on Kumar's brilliant display with the ball to bundle out KKR for 116 before they chased down the target in 12.5 overs.
Left-arm pacer Kumar became the first Indian to take four wickets on an IPL debut and help restrict KKR, who were bowled out in 16.2 overs.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scored for KKR with 26 off 16 balls.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 116 all out in 16.2 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 26; Ashwani Kumar 4/24).
Mumbai Indians: 121 for 2 in 12.5 overs (Ryan Rickleton 62 not out; Andre Russell 2/35).
