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Gold Smugglers
Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been charged under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act, 1974, in connection with a gold smuggling case.With the invocation of this Act, she will not be eligible for bail for at least a year. Authorities stated that the move was necessary to prevent her from resuming illicit activities, citing her lack of cooperation during the investigation. Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of senior police officer K Ramchandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kilograms of gold valued at over Rs 12.56 crore. She is currently lodged at the Bengaluru central prison along with two others Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain who have also been booked under the COFEPOSA Act. The case is being investigated jointly by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the CBI. According to officials, the stringent charges were applied after multiple ...
The probe into the possible role of DGP-rank officer K Ramachandra Rao in the gold smuggling case has lent credence to the DRI's allegations that his stepdaughter, Ranya Rao, misused police protocols, sources said on Thursday. According to official sources, during the inquiry by Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta, a detailed analysis of records at Bengaluru airport revealed that the Kannada actress had misused police protocol services during her foreign travels, particularly upon her arrival at Kempegowda International Airport from Dubai. Analysis of CCTV footage at the airport further indicated that she availed herself of the DGP-rank officer's protocol services every time she arrived from Dubai at Bengaluru airport, the sources added. The Karnataka government sent the DGP-rank officer on compulsory leave on Saturday. Recently, the senior IPS officer was questioned in connection with the gold smuggling case. His statement was subsequently recorded by the investigating team le
A Special Court of Economic Offences here on Friday rejected the bail plea of gold smuggling accused Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao.The second accused in the case, Tarun Raju, has been remanded to judicial custody for 15 days as probe continues. Ranya, stepdaughter of DGP rank officer K Ramachandra Rao, is presently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Jail here. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore from Ranya at Kempegowda International Airport when she arrived here from Dubai on March 3. Subsequent searches conducted by DRI at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore. During interrogation, authorities discovered that Tarun Raju was involved in facilitating the smuggling operation, allegedly coordinating the gold's transport and distribution within India. Both were taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Customs Act ..
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) on Sunday said Kannada actor Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, arrested for smuggling gold from Dubai, was allotted land to set up a steel plant by the previous government in February 2023. The board was reacting to reports that a company linked to the actor was allotted 12 acres of industrial land by the KIADB in 2023. Sensing that the case was taking a political turn, the office of Minister for Medium and Large Industries M B Patil shared the government's final notification issued on February 22, 2023, regarding the allocation of land to Ranya's firm Ksiroda India at the Sira Industrial Area in the Tumakuru district. The Congress came to power after defeating the BJP in the Karnataka Assembly polls in May 2023. The proceedings of the Karnataka government, shared by the minister's office, said, "Approval to the proposal of M/s Ksiroda India Private Limited to establish a unit for manufacture of 'steel products - TMT bars,
Gold smuggling has reduced significantly since July 2024 when the government slashed import duty on the precious metal to 6 per cent, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said. As per the latest available data, Customs and DRI officers seized 847 kg of gold worth Rs 544 crore at various airports in the April-June period of the current fiscal. In July, the government reduced customs duty on gold to 6 per cent from 15 per cent. "After the rate of duty was reduced on gold in the last year's budget, there is a significant reduction in the smuggling of gold," Agarwal told PTI in an interview. Although Agarwal did not reveal the quantum or value of gold seizures, he said authorities are keeping regular watch over the international passenger traffic, porous borders, and commercial cargoes coming into the country to cut the smuggling of narcotics through any route. Smuggling is the secret movement of goods across national borders to avoid custom
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday asked what action has been taken by the ruling Left government or Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who holds the "reins of power", against the groups smuggling gold into the state and using money from it for "anti-national activities". Khan said that he came to know about this development only after reading what Vijayan told a newspaper, but the CM has access to all the information about it. "He (Vijayan) should come forward and tell us what action has been taken by the government against the gold smugglers who have indulged in anti-national activities. "He is holding the reins of power. He cannot just talk to the press and take no action. Why has no action been taken? Whose fault is it if action is not being taken? It is a serious matter. I have read about it only today," the Governor told reporters here. He further said that when he returns to Thiruvananthapuram, he will seek a report from the government on the issue. "I would like t