- March 20, 2025
Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case: Co-Accused Tarun Raju Denied Bail By Special Court; Here’s Why – News18
Last Updated:
DRI, opposing Raju’s bail plea, stated that it had forensic evidence, including call records and financial transactions, linking Ranya Rao and Tarun Raju. It also claimed to have established that the duo had founded Vira Diamonds Trading LLC as a partnership firm with a 50:50…Read More
Ranya Rao and Tarun Raju. File images/X
Tarun Raju, the co-accused in the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao, has been denied bail by the special court hearing the case.
While Raju’s counsel argued that he was not a flight risk and a resident of Bengaluru, they also contended that there were no pending legal cases against him and sought bail.
DRI, opposing Raju’s bail plea, stated that it had forensic evidence, including call records and financial transactions, linking Ranya Rao and Tarun Raju. It also claimed to have established that the duo had founded Vira Diamonds Trading LLC as a partnership firm with a 50:50 stake. The business, based in Dubai, was set up to import gold from Geneva and Bangkok. Rao had reportedly invested Rs 8-10 lakh to start the company.
The DRI further argued that mobile phones and other electronic devices belonging to Ranya and Tarun indicated they were in Dubai on March 3. Additionally, Ranya had booked a ticket from Dubai to Hyderabad on the same day.
It is also alleged that Rao deposited cash into Tarun’s account on March 3 while he was in Dubai and was present there to hand over the gold to her before she travelled to India. DRI claimed that a lookout notice issued in Tarun’s name revealed he attempted to flee India upon his return and that he had been involved in gold smuggling multiple times.
Opposing his bail plea, the DRI further stated that the co-accused had travelled to Hyderabad from Dubai on the day of Ranya Rao’s arrest using money sent by the actress to purchase flight tickets. It also observed that both Tarun and Ranya had travelled to Dubai 26 times earlier, indicating their involvement in the case. The tickets were purchased using her American Express card, according to DRI sources.
The DRI’s arguments also stated that Tarun and Ranya were friends from college and that Ranya was the primary investor in Vira Diamonds, while Tarun was the working partner. DRI sources said Ranya had invested in the company and made monetary payments on behalf of her business partner for gold sourced from European countries. It was also alleged that the duo had once been cheated by a supplier in Dubai to the tune of Rs 1.7 crore when they were not supplied gold.
Explaining their modus operandi, DRI sources said they moved money through hawala from India to Dubai and had influential contacts and suppliers in Geneva and Bangkok.
Rao would purchase gold from wholesalers in Tarun’s name, as he held a US passport and did not require a separate visa. This made it easier to declare the goods at Dubai customs.
Rao, whose bail application was rejected on March 14, has once again appealed to the court. She is currently under judicial custody after being arrested by DRI on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kilograms of gold from Dubai.
