Gold smuggling case: At bail hearing, actress Ranya Rao’s counsel questions physical search consent obtained by DRI

Appearing on behalf of the advocate on record, B S Girish, Javali also raised questions over the procedure of the physical search of Rao adopted by the DRI under Section 102 of the Customs Act.

Earlier, a magistrate’s court had rejected Rao’s advocates’ argument that the DRI did not comply with Section 102 of the Customs Act and did not obtain the written consent of the actress before conducting a physical search to find the gold concealed on her body.

The argument cannot be accepted because “there is written consent of accused No.1 on record to show the compliance of the said section. The said consent at this juncture is sufficient to gather triable case against the accused No.1,” the special magistrate’s court had ruled in its March 14 order.

Under Section 102 of the Customs Act, “when any officer of customs is about to search any person under the provisions of section 100 or section 101, the officer of customs shall, if such person so requires, take him without unnecessary delay to the nearest Gazetted Officer of customs or magistrate”.

The DRI has argued that Rao gave her consent to be presented before a gazetted Customs officer of the rank of deputy director, who was present at the airport at the time of the interception, to obtain clearance for a physical search.

The senior counsel for the DRI, Madhu N Rao, argued on Tuesday that the DRI was in full compliance with the arrest procedure mandated by the law in the course of Rao’s arrest. “It is not just substantial compliance but full compliance,” the DRI counsel argued. The counsel further argued that Rao was served with an arrest memo outlining the reasons for her arrest as mandated by Supreme Court rulings.

The DRI counsel said that Rao was the source of the funds with which gold was purchased in Dubai for smuggling to India by her associate, Telugu actor Tarun Konduru Raju, 36, alias Virat Konduru.

The DRI probe is of a sensitive nature, and the agency is verifying the source of gold in Dubai and its subsequent purchase in India, the DRI counsel argued. The DRI stated that the gold in Dubai was purchased with funds transferred through hawala routes by Rao and that the tickets for travel to Dubai by the actress and Konduru were booked using funds provided by her. Releasing Rao on bail would be detrimental to the investigation, the DRI counsel argued.

The sessions court posted the bail plea of the actress for orders on March 27. Konduru’s bail plea is also due for a hearing on the same day.

Earlier, a special magistrate’s court for economic offences cited Rao’s frequent travel to Dubai – including 27 visits since January 2025 – the possession of a Dubai Resident Identity Card, and a threat to national security for denial of bail to the actress.

Rao was arrested at the Bengaluru international airport on March 3 when she arrived from Dubai with 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹ 12.56 crore wrapped on her body. She is alleged to have attempted to evade ₹ 4.83 crore in Customs duty through her act.

The actress was intercepted by DRI officials when she did not declare the gold consignment on her person but instead walked through a green channel at the airport with the escort of a Bengaluru police protocol official.

Rao is the stepdaughter of senior Karnataka DGP-rank IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao. She misused the police protocol service available at the airport to the DGP for gold smuggling, the DRI has claimed.