A sessions court in Bengaluru on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao in the gold smuggling case.
According to the prosecution, Ranya admitted to using hawala channels to facilitate gold purchases.
In response, the authorities have issued a notice to initiate a judicial investigation, which they believe will uncover further financial irregularities.
The case also involves Tarun Raj, an aide of the actor, who has been named as the second accused.
Officials claim that Ranya handed over the smuggled gold to a merchant named Sahil Jain, who was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to three.
During the hearing, DRI lawyer Madhu Rao revealed that Ranya and Raj made approximately 26 trips to Dubai together, often departing in the morning and returning the same evening. Before her arrest, the actor allegedly booked a flight ticket for Raj, who then handed over the gold to her in Dubai.
Gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Ranya, the step-daughter of DGP rank officer K Ramachandra Rao at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 upon her arrival from Dubai.
Following this, searches were conducted at her residence, where officials recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
Senior IPS officer Ramchandra Rao has also been questioned in connection with the case.
Following these developments, the Karnataka government placed him on compulsory leave on March 15, effective immediately and until further notice.
Investigators alleged that Ranya misused her stepfather's name and exploited security protocols meant for high-ranking officials to bypass airport checks.
