Ranya Rao has been granted bail in the gold smuggling case. But despite this, she will remain in custody. Know why?
Kannada actress Ranya Rao has been granted bail by the Special Court of Economic Offences on Tuesday. But it’s a conditional bail. Apart from Ranya, her co-accused Konduru Raju has also been granted conditional bail. The court approved the release of both on the condition that each will have to submit two sureties and a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh. After the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials failed to submit a charge sheet against them, the special court granted bail to both on the condition that they would not leave the country.
Will have to remain in custody despite bail
Justice Vishwanath C Gowdar, who presided over the hearing of this case, passed the bail order. However, despite getting bail, Ranya Rao will not be released. This is because she has been booked under the more stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA). COFEPOSA is a preventive detention law in India, which aims to prevent smuggling and conserve foreign exchange. This law allows the detention of persons suspected of being involved in such activities.
The case came to light in March
Ranya Rao and co-accused Raju are accused of conspiring to illegally import gold worth more than Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai into India. The case came to light on March 3, 2025, when Ranya Rao was caught at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport with 14.8 kg of gold allegedly smuggled from Dubai. Subsequent investigations revealed that Ranya had travelled alone to Dubai 45 times between 2023 and 2025, raising suspicion of her involvement in a wider smuggling network. Further investigation revealed his links to Veera Diamonds Trading, a Dubai-based firm he co-founded in 2023 with actor and businessman Tarun Raju.
