Last Updated Jul - 17 - 2025, 03:27 PM | Source : Fela news
The actress will be kept in custody without bail for a year under COFEPOSA. The detention reflects India's stringent anti-smuggling trend and retains Ranya Rao
Kannada actress Ranya Rao has been detained under stringent COFEPOSA (Prevention of Forex Protection and Smuggling Activities) after arrests in a high-profile gold smuggling case). Despite being granted bail by a special court for the customs offence, that relief was immediately overshadowed by the newer, more severe COFEPOSA charge, which bars bail altogether for one year.
The actress was intercepted at Bengaluru’s international airport in early March, reportedly carrying over 14 kg of 24‑karat gold valued at more than ₹12 crore, concealed on her person. The DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) had been monitoring her due to suspiciously frequent trips to Dubai totalling at least 52 in just two years.
Initially, a special economic offences court granted her default bail under the Customs Act after the DRI failed to file a charge sheet within the prescribed time frame. That bail came with conditions: two sureties, a bond of ₹2 lakh, regular court appearances, cooperation with investigations, no tampering with evidence, and no travel abroad without permission.
But before she could leave prison, the Advisory Board invoked COFEPOSA, a preventive detention law aimed at curbing smuggling, to keep her detained for 12 months, during which bail is not an option. Additional agencies such as the ED and CBI have also joined the probe.
His mother has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court, challenging the validity of daughter's custody under COFEPOSA and argued that it is a violation of fundamental rights. Meanwhile, the matter is constantly moving forward, whose potential echoes can reach the political and financial network, including the investigation of state level leaders.
As the legal battle unfolds, Ranya Rao remains behind bars, a symbol of the government’s firm approach to economic offences and gold smuggling. Whether her family’s petition succeeds could set important precedents for future COFEPOSA detentions.
