Pramesh S Jain
Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao (33),arrested in a high-profile gold smuggling case last year,walked out of prison on Wednesday after the expiry of her one-year preventive detention under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974.
Officials said the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI),which had booked the case, will not challenge the lapse of detention and is not seeking an extension.
Ranya was arrested on March3,2025,upon arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport from Dubai.
According to the DRI,she was caught carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at Rs.12.56 crore on her person.
Her associate,Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru (36),a US citizen,was arrested six days later for allegedly aiding the smuggling operation.
A third accused,Sahil Sakariya Jain (27),a jeweller from Ballari, was arrested on March 26 for allegedly helping dispose of the smuggled gold and facilitating hawala transactions.
On May 20,the Special Court for Economic Offences granted statutory bail to Ranya and Raju upon furnishing personal bonds of Rs.2 lakh each with sureties.
Jain was granted similar relief days later.However,all three remained in custody after the Central government invoked COFEPOSA in April 2025,enabling preventive detention despite bail.
In July 2025,the COFEPOSA Advisory Board,under Section 8 of the Act,recommended continuation of detention for all three accused,citing the need to prevent further smuggling activities.
Investigations later indicated that the trio were allegedly part of a larger syndicate that smuggled over 100 kg of gold into India between 2024 and 2025.
Authorities claimed that Konduru facilitated the international movement of gold via Dubai,while Jain handled its disposal within India.
The detention orders,issued by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau at the DRI’s request,had cited the need to curb continued smuggling operations.
Ranya is also the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao,who was questioned during the probe regarding alleged knowledge of the activities and the reported use of an official vehicle.
He was placed on compulsory leave following her arrest, later reinstated in August 2025 as DGP,Directorate for Civil Rights Enforcement,and subsequently suspended in connection with a separate controversy.
With the expiry of the COFEPOSA detention period,all three accused are now out of preventive custody,even as investigations into the wider smuggling network continue.
