In a significant development in the high-profile gold smuggling case, Kannada actress Ranya Rao is set to be released from jail on Wednesday after completing one year under preventive detention, officials said.Ranya Rao, who is currently lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison, was arrested in connection with an alleged gold smuggling racket involving gold worth Rs 102 crore. The case had drawn widespread attention due to her links to the Kannada film industry and the police department.Although she had earlier secured bail from the special court, her release was delayed as authorities invoked the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act against her, enabling her to be kept behind bars despite the relief.With the completion of one year since the COFEPOSA detention came into effect, Rao is now eligible for release. According to sources, she is expected to walk out of prison later this evening.The case remains under investigation, and further legal proceedings are likely in the coming days. More details are yet to emerge in the case.The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), a nodal agency under the Ministry of Finance, had invoked the COFEPOSA Act against the actress and other accused as per the recommendation of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), probing the case.The Act was invoked to stop the accused from indulging in smuggling once they came out on bail. The Act is also invoked if the accused is seen as not cooperating with the investigating agencies, sources said.Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramchandra Rao, was arrested on March 3, 2025, for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kg of gold, valued at over Rs 12.56 crore.The case is being investigated by the DRI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The state government has set up a special team led by a senior IAS officer to look into the role of DGP Ramachandra Rao in the case. The report in this regard has been submitted to the government. DGP Ramachandra Rao is currently under suspension.The other accused, Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain, have also been booked under the COFEPOSA Act.The investigation into the gold smuggling case by the DRI has revealed that the actress had been involved in hawala transactions in collusion with Jain, the third accused in the case, sources stated.The DRI, in its remand application submitted to the Special Court for Economic Offences in connection with the arrest of Jain in the gold smuggling case, alleged that the jeweller and Ranya Rao were involved in a hawala nexus.The investigations have found that with the help of Jain, Ranya Rao disposed of 49.6 kg of gold and transferred Rs 38.4 crore of hawala money to Dubai.“The investigations have indicated that Jain, hailing from Ballari and settled in Bengaluru, assisted and abetted Ranya Rao in disposing of 49.6 kilograms of gold worth around Rs 40 crore and transferring hawala money of Rs 38.4 crore to Dubai,” the DRI said.
