Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: Third accused Sahil Jain sent to 14-day judicial custody

The Special Court for Economic Offenses on Wednesday remanded Sahil Jain, the third accused in the high-profile Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case, to 14 days of judicial custody. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) produced Jain before the court today after his custodial interrogation period ended.

This development comes a day after Kannada actress Ranya Rao moved the Karnataka High Court, seeking bail following multiple rejections by lower courts. Her advocate, B S Girish, filed the bail petition on Tuesday after three subordinate courts denied her relief, citing the gravity of the charges against her.

Also read: Actor Ranya Rao moves Karnataka High Court in gold smuggling case, fresh plea filed

The 64th CCH Sessions Court in Bengaluru was the latest to reject her bail plea on March 27, following an earlier refusal by the Special Court for Economic Offenses on March 14. Before that, the Magistrate Court had also denied bail.

During previous hearings, the DRI informed the court that Rao had confessed to purchasing gold illegally using hawala transactions. The actress was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru while allegedly attempting to smuggle 14.8 kg of gold.

The DRI has invoked Section 108 of the Customs Act to probe deeper into financial irregularities and potential violations of the law related to the smuggling operation. Further investigations are ongoing to unravel the full extent of the smuggling network.