Gold smuggling case: Judicial custody of Ranya Rao, 2 others extended till April 21

NEW DELHI: The judicial custody for Ranya Rao, Tarun Raju, and Sahil Jain in the gold smuggling case has been extended to April 21.

This came following the investigation in the case where the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) uncovered that she had previously smuggled approximately 14.56 kg of gold into India.
The illegal operation resulted in a customs duty loss of Rs 4.45 crore to the exchequer. Ranya Rao was reportedly assisted by Sahil Sakariya Jain, who played a key role in selling the smuggled gold within the country. The revelations have intensified the probe, with authorities now looking deeper into the smuggling network.
Following his arrest on March 26 for his role in the gold smuggling case, Jain was placed in judicial custody until April 7.
Earlier, the 64th CCH Sessions Court in Bengaluru denied Ranya Rao's bail application on March 27, subsequent to a similar rejection by the Special Court for Economic Offences on March 14. Earlier, the Magistrate Court had also turned down her bail petition, considering the seriousness of the allegations.
At an earlier court proceeding, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) presented evidence that Ranya Rao had confessed to acquiring gold through illegal channels using hawala transactions.
Her arrest took place on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, where authorities discovered 14.8 kg of gold in her possession.
The DRI has commenced proceedings under Section108 to examine possible financial misconduct and legal transgressions.