Ranya Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju get bail in gold smuggling case but to remain in prison
The Bengaluru court asked Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru Raju not to leave the country without prior permission as part of bail conditions.
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The court granted bail to Ranya Rao and Virat Konduru on the condition that each executes a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties. (File photo)A Bengaluru court Tuesday granted statutory bail to Kannada actor Ranya Rao and Telugu actor Virat Konduru alias Tarun Konduru Raju in a high-profile gold smuggling case. However, their release from jail appears unlikely in the near future as the Centre has charged them under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act.
The Special Court for Economic Offences ruled that the duo is entitled to default bail, citing the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)’s failure to file a chargesheet within 60 days of arrest. The court granted bail on the condition that each executes a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties.
“It is made clear that any violation of the conditions imposed by this court will result in the cancellation of bail,” the court observed and asked them to appear for all the hearings without fail in the bail conditions.
As part of the bail conditions, the court instructed Ranya and Raju to refrain from tampering with evidence or witnesses, cooperate fully with the investigation, avoid leaving the country without prior permission, and not commit similar offences.
Ranya Rao, 33, is accused of smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai. She was arrested on March 3 at the Bengaluru airport and found in possession of 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at Rs 12.56 crore. She was allegedly attempting to evade customs duty to the tune of Rs 4.83 crore by strapping the gold on her body using bandages. Raju and a Ballari-based jeweller, Sahil Sakariya Jain, were also arrested later in connection with the smuggling operation.
All three are lodged at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. On April 22, the Union government invoked the COFEPOSA Act provisions against them. This act permits preventive detention for up to one year without trial.
Meanwhile, Ranya’s mother has approached the Karnataka High Court, challenging her daughter’s detention under the COFEPOSA Act. The matter has been adjourned to June 3, with the court asking the Centre to file its objections.
The Karnataka High Court had previously declined to grant Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru Raju bail. Raju had travelled to the UAE at the same time as Rao but returned to Hyderabad instead of Bengaluru, according to the DRI that arrested the two actors.
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