Bengaluru, 20 May

Kannada actress Ranya Rao and co-accused Tarun Koduru Raju were granted default bail on Tuesday by the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru in gold smuggling case. However, Ranya Rao will continue to remain in custody under preventive detention invoked through the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), 1974.

The court, presided over by Judge Vishwanath C Gowdar, allowed the bail applications after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) failed to file a chargesheet within 60 days of arrest. Both accused were required to execute a bond of Rs 2 lakh each and furnish two sureties.

The bail conditions include a ban on leaving the country, cooperation with investigators, and a prohibition on engaging in similar offences. Despite the bail, Ranya remains in custody under COFEPOSA, which allows for detention without trial for up to a year based on suspicion of involvement in smuggling.

Ranya Rao was arrested on 3 March at Kempegowda International Airport, after arriving from Dubai. DRI officials, acting on a tip-off, seized 14.2 kg of gold worth over ₹12.56 crore concealed in her luggage. Investigators also discovered she had travelled to Dubai nearly 30 times in the past year, raising strong suspicions of links to an organised smuggling network.

While previous bail pleas had been rejected, Ranya’s counsel has now filed for relief under COFEPOSA.