Bail Hearing for Kannada Actress Ranya Rao in Gold Smuggling Case Adjourned Until March 14
The Economic Offences Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday postponed the bail hearing of Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was recently arrested at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) for her alleged involvement in gold smuggling. The court has reserved its order on the bail application and will deliver its verdict on March 14 (Friday).
Meanwhile, the case has taken a political turn, with Congress MLA Ajay Dharam Singh making serious allegations regarding the possible involvement of a central minister in the smuggling operation.
“There could be a link to a central minister. Since she was arriving from an international destination, all travel details from Dubai would be available. It is the responsibility of the authorities to track such movements. If allegations are being made, they could be hinting at the central government rather than the state government,” said Singh.
BJP Links Ranya Rao to Karnataka CM, Calls It ‘Congress Gold Field’
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized the opportunity to link the case to the Congress-led Karnataka government. BJP leader Amit Malviya shared an old photograph of Ranya Rao with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Home Minister G. Parmeshwara, suggesting that the case had now reached the “doorstep” of the state’s leadership.
“The Ranya Rao gold smuggling case in Karnataka has now reached the doorstep of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This dated photo also features the current Home Minister, G Parmeshwara. Ironically, the man dismissing any political links is none other than Congress’s CM-in-waiting, DK Shivakumar,” Malviya wrote on social media, using the hashtag #CongressGoldField.
Karnataka Government Orders Investigation Into Alleged Political Links
Following the political uproar, Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to conduct a thorough investigation into the case. The Chief Minister has instructed that a detailed report be submitted within a week.
As part of the probe, the investigating officer will examine how Ranya Rao allegedly misused her VIP status and courtesy services at the airport to evade security checks. Additionally, the role of IPS officer Rao—who is also linked to the case—will be scrutinized to determine if there was any collusion or abuse of power.
Ranya Rao’s Arrest and Allegations Against Her
The case took a dramatic turn when Ranya Rao was apprehended by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Bengaluru airport on March 3. Authorities accused her of smuggling 14.8 kilograms of gold from Dubai, reportedly bypassing customs checks using privileged access.
Ranya Rao, who is the stepdaughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police (DGP) K. Ramachandra Rao, was presented before a special court judge on March 4 for financial offences. Following the court proceedings, she was remanded to judicial custody until March 18.
Before being sent to custody, she underwent a mandatory medical examination at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. During her questioning, she claimed that her trip to Dubai was for business purposes, but investigators suspect that her visit was tied to an illegal gold smuggling operation.
Initially, Ranya was remanded to the custody of the DRI until March 10, but her custody was further extended until March 24 as investigators continue their probe into the larger smuggling network.
What’s Next?
With the case now entangled in political controversy, the outcome of the bail hearing on March 14 will be crucial in determining Ranya Rao’s fate. Meanwhile, the Karnataka government’s investigation report, expected within a week, will shed light on whether there are deeper political or administrative connections to the gold smuggling racket.
