Gold Smuggling Case: Karnataka HC Rejects Plea Against Ranya Rao’s Preventive Detention
The Karnataka High Court on December 19 dismissed a petition challenging the detention of Kannada actress Ranya Rao under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA). The detention is linked to a gold smuggling case that came to light in March this year.
A Division Bench of Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice Vijaykumar A Patil rejected the plea filed by Rao’s mother, H.P. Rohini, who questioned the legality of her daughter’s preventive detention under COFEPOSA.
Ranya Rao was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3, 2025, at the Bengaluru International Airport. Officials allegedly recovered 14.2 kg of gold worth around ₹12.86 crore from her. It was claimed that the gold was concealed in her clothing to evade customs checks. She was also accused of misusing the airport’s VVIP exit route.
Following her arrest, DRI officials conducted a search at her residence and reportedly seized jewellery valued at ₹2.06 crore and cash amounting to ₹2.67 crore. With these recoveries, the total value of seized assets in the case stood at approximately ₹17.29 crore.
The case attracted wide public attention, particularly due to reports about Rao’s frequent trips to Dubai and allegations that she used VIP privileges at the airport to avoid scrutiny.
In May, a special court handling economic offences granted Rao default bail after the DRI failed to file a chargesheet within the statutory 60-day period. However, despite securing bail, she continued to remain in custody due to the preventive detention order passed under COFEPOSA, which is aimed at preventing future smuggling activities.
Before this, Rao had spent three days in DRI custody, after which the court sent her to judicial custody for fifteen days.
