BENGALURU: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has sought a three-day custody of 33-year-old Kannada actor Ranya Rao during the hearing of her bail plea in the special court for economic offenses on Thursday. Ranya was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport on Monday after she was caught allegedly smuggling gold from Dubai.
The bail application was filed on Wednesday. During the hearing, advocates representing DRI sought custody of three days, stating that there was a possibility of the involvement of a larger syndicate in the smuggling incident and the case requires a multi-dimensional probe. The court reserved the custody order for Friday.
DRI advocates told the court that Ranya’s custodial interrogation is essential as significant developments have emerged in the last two days. The advocates also pointed out protocol violations and said the details cannot be revealed in the open court and could be submitted in a sealed cover.
Ranya’s advocates opposed the request, saying that further custody was not justified. Following arguments from both sides, the judge ruled that a decision on the bail plea could only be taken after the completion of the probe.
The DRI, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted Ranya at the Kempegowda International Airport on Monday. Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were found ingeniously concealed on her person.
The contraband, valued at Rs 12.56 crore, was seized under the Customs Act, 1962. Following the interception, DRI officers conducted a search at her house on Lavelle Road, where she resides with her husband. The search resulted in the seizure of gold jewelry worth Rs 2.06 crore and cash of Rs 2.67 crore. The total seizure in the case stands at Rs 17.29 crore.