Gold smuggling case: Court rejects bail plea of Ranya Rao’s close associate Tarun Raju
Bengaluru: The Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru dismissed the bail plea of the second accused, Tarun Raju, a close associate of jailed actress Ranya Rao in the gold smuggling case, on Wednesday.
Justice Vishwanath C. Goudar reserved the order after hearing arguments from both sides. Presently, Tarun Raju is lodged in the Central Prison in Bengaluru. Tarun Raju is the grandson of a star hotel owner, located on Kumara Park East Road in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the bail petition of jailed actress Ranya Rao was heard at the 64th City Civil and Sessions Court. The court has directed the prosecution to file its objections by March 21.
Earlier, Counsel Madhu Rao appearing for the DRI at the Special Economic Offences Court, stated that Tarun and Ranya travelled together to Dubai about 26 times. They would leave in the morning and return by evening. Looking at this pattern, there is a high chance the accused could flee the country anytime. The lawyer representing DRI said that he (Tarun) was planning to go abroad.
Tarun travelled from Dubai to Hyderabad. The ticket for this journey was booked by Ranya Rao. Additionally, Tarun gave gold to Ranya in Dubai, Counsel Madhu Rao said.
He further submitted, “A Lookout Circular was issued against Tarun for questioning. Tarun attempted to escape. On March 8 of the month, Tarun attempted to escape from the country. Finding no other way, he travelled from Hyderabad to Bengaluru.”
“It was discovered during the investigation that Tarun is a US citizen. Why did Tarun have to go to Geneva? He claimed he was travelling to Geneva but came to Hyderabad and then to Bengaluru. If Geneva was the real destination, why this detour?” the counsel for the DRI asked.
After Ranya Rao’s arrest, forensic analysis was conducted on the evidence seized from her. During this investigation, her connection with the second accused was revealed, counsel Madhu Rao stated.
The payment for purchasing gold in Dubai has been made, and this requires a detailed investigation. The international links in the smuggling network need to be investigated further. There are strong reasons justifying the accused’s arrest, he stated.
Senior counsel Devaraju, appearing for Tarun Raju submitted that according to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Tarun is not the owner of the gold. He is not the one who transported the gold. As per Section 137, Subclause 3 of the Customs Act, the accused must be found in possession of the goods.
However, this arrest seems to have been made merely due to media sensationalism, the counsel argued.
He further submitted that apart from the allegations made by the first accused, there are no other charges against Tarun. Ranya Rao and Tarun started the Vira Diamonds Company. However, later in December 2024, Tarun was removed from the company.
Actress Rao was arrested on charges of gold smuggling and misusing her father (DGP) Ramachandra Rao’s name to escape security checks by availing the protocol reserved for officials of the highest rank.
The DRI officials arrested Ranya Rao after seizing 14.8 kg of gold from her at the Bengaluru International Airport.
The agency seized Rs 2.06 crore worth of gold and Rs 2.67 crore in cash from her upscale Lavelle Road flat, where she reportedly paid Rs 4.5 lakh in rent.
On March 15, the Karnataka government placed jailed actress Ranya Rao’s father, DGP K. Ramachandra Rao, on compulsory leave with immediate effect and until further notice in connection with the gold smuggling case.
