Ranya, actor friend visited Dubai to smuggle gold: DRI
According to officials, the probe has revealed that hawala channels were being used for transfer of funds from India to Dubai and a larger syndicate is involved
There was a clear nexus between Kannada actress Ranya Rao and her Telugu actor friend Tarun Konduru Raju, both arrested in a gold smuggling case, the directorate of revenue and intelligence (DRI) informed a special court in Bengaluru on Tuesday, adding that the duo travelled together on several occasions over the last two years.
Rao, stepdaughter of IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on March 3 after DRI officials found her in possession of 14.2 kg of gold bars worth ₹12.5 crore, upon her arrival from Dubai, while Raju was taken into custody on March 10.
The federal revenue and intelligence agency claimed that Rao and Raju made 26 trips together between January and March this year alone. Officials suspect that overall Rao has made 56 trips to Dubai between 2023 and this year.
Asserting that the purpose of these trips was gold smuggling, DRI’s special counsel Madhu N Rai in the special court for economic offences said: “…the fact that on such trips, Rao and Raju would travel to Dubai in the morning and return to India the same evening suggested that they travelled for the purpose of smuggling gold.”
The agency’s counsel also opposed the bail plea moved by Raju, a US citizen, calling him a flight risk. The counsel further argued that Raju had also tried fleeing India, after which the central agency had issued a look out circular against him. On March 3, DRI had claimed that Raju had flown from Dubai to Hyderabad on a ticket booked by Rao and that after her arrest, he unsuccessfully attempted to leave India.
A similar apprehension was expressed last week by DRI for Rao as well while opposing her bail plea. It said that Rao possesses a resident identity card of the UAE and if allowed on bail, considering her travel history to that country as well as Europe, she may flee.
According to officials, the probe has revealed that hawala channels were being used for transfer of funds from India to Dubai and a larger syndicate is involved.
Investigators have also learnt that Rao and Raju opened a company in Dubai for trading in gold, an information which is being verified. Besides, attempts are being made to get more details on trips and any transactions made by them to Europe and the US and if the syndicate they are suspected to be part of has links there.
Besides DRI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have also registered separate cases to focus on a larger international syndicate and possible role of government officials in facilitating the smuggling.
Investigators believe that Rao used the clout of her step father, K Ramachandra Rao, to avoid checks at the airport. Ramachandra Rao — who has been serving as director general of police (DGP) since October 2023 and is chairman and managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited —has denied any role in the alleged gold smuggling.
The IPS officer has faced scrutiny in the past, with his tenure as inspector general of police (IGP) of the southern range was marred after his name surfaced in a case involving a large cash seizure.
