Actor cops off with smugglers

The curious gold-plated case of a celebrity, policeman and criminals

After a year in the Bengaluru central prison, a once-celebrated-and-now-defamed actor walked out. Last year, Ranya Rao, a Kannada celebrity, was sentenced to preventive custody due to her involvement in high-profile gold-smuggling cases, which involved her step-father, the former DGP, who was suspended twice and remains so, a local jeweller, and gang members spread across the globe. The yellow metal links spread from the US to Bengaluru, India to Dubai. It involved the illegal sale of gold locally and the rerouting of the money abroad via hawala. The case sounds more like a plot for a thriller, potboiler movie.

Last year, after Ranya got bail from a special court, she was instantly booked and arrested under COFEPOSA, a law that relates to foreign exchange and smuggling. The Supreme Court later upheld the order, after Ranya and her jeweller accomplice, Sahil Sakaria Jain, were sent to prison for a year. The investigators maintained that it was necessary to jail the duo to prevent further smuggling and because they refused to cooperate. However, after the expiry of 12 months, the former did not contest the latter’s freedom or ask for further detention.

One does not know what happened in the prison, and how the investigators acted in the past year. But the larger case is ongoing, as they believe that Ranya and Jain have links with a larger smuggling racket that may be headquartered in either Dubai or the US. In such a scenario, one can assume that the duo spilled the beans that they knew about, which helped the investigators to piece some parts of the puzzle. A contrary situation may be that they got nothing, and felt that Ranya and Jain were small cogs, who have no idea about the larger picture.

Last March, when the actor landed at the Bengaluru international airport, she was arrested because of more than 14 kg of gold bars that she had concealed, and which were valued over Rs 12 crore. Later, the investigators widened the net, reeled in Jain, and pinpointed others. They estimated that nearly 130 kg of gold, worth more than Rs 100 crore, was smuggled in the past 12 months. Ranya and Jain were a part of a larger gang, and the jeweller helped to illegally dispose of nearly 50 kg. A penalty of Rs 102.5 crore was imposed on the actor.

Once the investigators got their teeth into the case, they found that the illegal proceeds from the sale of nearly 50 kg sold by Jain was illicitly transferred via Hawala to Dubai. Since Dubai is a well-known base for the global underworld, a financial nucleus to funnel legal and illegal money, as also a known location for gold and narcotics smuggling, the Indian investigators smelt a huge rat. They were convinced that this was a part of the larger, planned, and methodical operation, which included more than the duo, which conveniently included a celebrity who is unlikely to be stopped at airports, and jeweller who can easily peddle the gold in the Indian market, and keep it off the books.

By now, Ranya’s stepfather was forced to step in. He was a DGP, whose family links were highlighted by the media and political opposition. The cop was immediately suspended, and a special team investigated his role in the gold smuggling. The suspension was later revoked, but the stepfather found himself embroiled in another scandal. This time, he was seen in a sleaze video in his police uniform. This led to another suspension, which, according to media reports, continues. There were too many clear and blurred criminal-cop-celebrity links.

This explains why officials claim that the case is not shut with Ranya and Jain’s release. The one-year detention finished, and the investigating agencies did not contest the releases. But the legal proceedings continue. Multiple agencies are involved to explore and establish the alleged smuggling routes, and whether they involve other actors and locations, including a

well-oiled gang. Their eyes are on the money trail to determine the recipients of the Hawala money in Dubai, and where it went from there. Officials feel that more information can come out in the future, which may implicate Indians and foreigners.

According to a media report, “With her COFEPOSA term completed, Ranya Rao leaves prison but remains at the centre of the gold smuggling case, facing a large financial penalty, and continuing scrutiny from several agencies. The investigations, court hearings, and government review of DGP… role ensure the matter stays active within legal and administrative systems.” However, knowing how the agencies operate, this may be a way for them to look for legitimate exit options. They possibly have not found anything much in the past 12 months, but hope that they will dig up more dirt, or rather gold, in the future.

Over the years, the air route has emerged as one of the preferred and modern ways to smuggle gold, with willing human mules and even celebrities readily available to transport it. In the pre-reform days, airline crews and other prominent members were involved in the smuggling. However, what is surprising is the revival of the sea and land routes for smuggling not just gold, but other contraband like narcotics. Recently, the Indian Coast Guard has upped its ante and captured several ships laden with large amounts of drugs worth thousands of dollars in the illegal retail markets.

Last year, there was news about the smuggling of 1,000 kgs of gold worth Rs 800 crore across the India-Tibet-China border, along the Line of Actual Control. Porters and mules were used to transport the yellow metal across the land routes through the

mountains and passes in Tibet and Ladakh. Individuals in the Capital received the gold from the Indian side and sold it to gold dealers and traders. The payments were made in untraceable cryptos to the Chinese suppliers. For decades, both India and China have emerged as the largest gold consumers.

A few years ago, a celebrity-civil servant kind of a case erupted in Kerala, not unlike Ranya Rao’s one in Bengaluru. In the former case, gold was smuggled through diplomatic bags that were meant to be delivered at the office of a foreign consulate. One of the alleged accused was a consulate employee who had earlier worked for a state-level public sector. At the latter job, she was linked to the principal secretary to the chief minister, who was later suspended and investigated. Hence, the links between fame, policing, and crime are quite strong.