Bengaluru: The bail hearing for Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was detained at the Bengaluru airport on suspicion of smuggling gold, was postponed until March 14 (Friday) by the Economic Offences Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday. In the meanwhile, the bail application order has been postponed until March 14. Ajay Dharam Singh, a Congress MLA, accused the central minister of being involved in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case.
“The central minister may be responsible for it; she was travelling from a foreign country, and they have all the information from Dubai. Therefore, if they are making accusations, they may be implying the federal government rather than the state governments,” Singh stated.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya posted a photo of actress Ranya Rao, who is accused of gold smuggling, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, claiming that the case has finally reached the CM’s doorstep.
It is claimed that actress Ranya Rao utilised her identity and the courteous services provided to her to “evade” airport security and engage in “illegal” activities. The investigating officer, Gaurav Gupta, will look into the facts and circumstances surrounding the use of courtesy facilities, as well as the role of IPS Rao in this case.
Notably, actress Ranya Rao was detained on March 3 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) in Bengaluru for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kg of gold from Dubai.
Ranya, DGP K. Ramachandra Rao’s stepdaughter, appeared before a special court judge on March 4 in the evening for financial offences. Ranya Rao was brought before a special court on March 4 for financial violations and was put in judicial detention until March 18.
She received a medical examination at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru before being taken into custody. During her questioning, Rao stated that her journey to Dubai was for business concerns. However, investigators believe her visit was related to the unlawful trafficking of gold. Then she was sent to the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) until March 10, which was later extended until March 24.