For 3rd time, Kannada actor Ranya Rao denied bail in gold smuggling case

BENGALURU: A sessions court in Bengaluru on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Kannada actor Ranya Rao in gold smuggling case. This was the third time she failed to get court relief.
According to prosecution, Ranya admitted to using

hawala channels

to facilitate gold purchases. In response, the authorities have issued a notice to initiate a judicial investigation, which they believe will uncover further financial irregularities. The case also involves Tarun Raj, an aide of the actor, who has been named as the second accused.
Officials claim Ranya handed over the smuggled gold to a merchant named Sahil Jain, who was arrested by DRI on Wednesday. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to three.
DRI lawyer Madhu Rao revealed Ranya and Raj made around 26 trips to Dubai together, often departing in the morning and returning the same evening. Before her arrest, the actor allegedly booked a flight ticket for Raj, who then handed over the gold to her in Dubai. Gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya, step-daughter of DGP-rank officer K Ramachandra Rao at Bengaluru airport on March 3.