Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, March 10: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has made a second arrest in the high-profile gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao. Meanwhile, the Special Court has remanded Rao to 14-day judicial custody until March 24.
Ranya Rao, who had been in DRI custody for three days, was presented before the Economic Offences Court on Monday following the conclusion of her detention period.
The actress reportedly broke down in the court, claiming that she was undergoing emotional trauma. The court then ordered her transfer to Bengaluru Central Prison. DRI counsel informed the court that all of Ranya Rao's questioning had been video recorded for transparency.
Alongside Rao's remand, the DRI also arrested Tarun Raju, the son of a prominent hotel industrialist, in connection with the gold smuggling investigation. Raju was brought before the Economic Offences Court on Monday and was remanded to DRI custody for five days.
According to preliminary investigations, Tarun Raju and Ranya Rao have been friends for many years, and he has frequently travelled to Dubai with the actress.
Sources suggest that Raju was involved in receiving smuggled gold from Rao, which was then brought into India. The DRI's inquiry has established that Rs 12.56 crore worth of gold has been smuggled, with Ranya Rao identified as one of the key players in the smuggling network.
The DRI is continuing to dig deeper into the case, with efforts now focused on retrieving data from Ranya Rao’s mobile phone and laptop. The agency has indicated that the mobile records reveal that the actress was in contact with several influential individuals, including serving and former ministers. The DRI is also working to gather Call Data Records (CDR) to investigate these potential connections further.
In another significant development, the DRI has seized a laptop belonging to Ranya Rao and is extracting data from the device to determine any further involvement in the gold smuggling operation.
The case has sparked political debate, with the BJP raising concerns in the Legislative Assembly about the possible involvement of state ministers. The opposition party claims that at least two ministers from the Congress government might be implicated in the case.
However, Home Minister G Parameshwara has denied any connection between the state police and the gold smuggling ring. He stated that if any police personnel are found to be involved, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has now taken over the case, would conduct a thorough investigation.
The gold smuggling case came to light when Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport last Monday, after 14.8 kg of gold was seized from her. The recovered gold is valued at approximately Rs 2.06 crore. The DRI also confiscated Rs 2.67 crore in cash from Rao's luxurious flat on Lavelle Road, where she reportedly paid Rs 4.5 lac in rent.
In response to the arrest of his stepdaughter, K Ramachandra Rao, Director General of Police for the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, expressed his shock and disappointment. Rao stated that he was completely unaware of his stepdaughter’s involvement in the case, and was devastated by the developments.