Synopsis
The Bangalore Sessions Court will make a ruling on actress Ranya Rao's bail plea in the ongoing gold smuggling case. Ranya, arrested for smuggling significant amounts of gold, is facing serious allegations alongside other suspects, including her associate Tarun Raj and gold merchant Sahil Jain.Key Takeaways
- Ranya Rao is the main suspect in a major gold smuggling case.
- The court's decision on her bail plea is expected today.
- Authorities are investigating additional financial irregularities.
- Co-accused Tarun Raj and gold merchant Sahil Jain are also involved.
- Ramchandra Rao, Ranya's stepfather, is under scrutiny.
New Delhi, March 27 (NationPress) The Bangalore Sessions Court is set to deliver its decision regarding actress Ranya Rao's bail request in the gold smuggling case on Thursday. Ranya Rao, identified as the main suspect in the case, is the stepdaughter of senior police officer Ramchandra Rao, and was detained on March 3 under allegations of smuggling 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at over Rs 12.56 crore. The court will determine her bail plea today.
The prosecution contends in court that the actress has confessed to utilizing hawala networks to purchase the bullion.
The authorities have served a notice under Section 108 to commence a judicial investigation against Ranya Rao, aiming to uncover further financial discrepancies.
Tarun Raj, a close associate of the actress, is the second suspect in the matter and is also awaiting the court's ruling on his bail request, anticipated to be revealed on the same day.
In the meantime, Sahil Jain, a gold trader, was apprehended on Wednesday for his alleged role in the sale of the smuggled gold associated with Ranya Rao. Captured by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), he has been remanded to police custody for four days to assist in questioning and ongoing investigations. This marks the third arrest in this case.
Previously, Counsel Madhu Rao, representing the DRI at the Special Economic Offences Court, stated that Tarun and Ranya have traveled to Dubai together approximately 26 times, departing in the morning and returning by evening.
Tarun traveled from Dubai to Hyderabad, with the ticket for this journey booked by Ranya Rao. Furthermore, Tarun provided gold to Ranya while in Dubai.
Senior police officer Ramchandra Rao has also been interrogated in this gold smuggling case.
On March 15, the Karnataka government placed DGP K. Ramachandra Rao on mandatory leave effective immediately and until further notice concerning the gold smuggling case.
The actress, charged with gold smuggling, misused her stepfather Rao's identity to evade security checks by utilizing the protocol allocated for officials of the highest status.
