Kannada actor Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, 33, arrested in a high-profile gold smuggling case last year, walked out of prison on Wednesday after the expiry of her one-year preventive detention under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act, 1974.
Officials said the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which had booked the case, will not challenge the lapse of detention and is not seeking an extension.
Ms. Rao was arrested on March 3, 2025, upon arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport from Dubai. According to the DRI, she was caught carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at ₹12.56 crore on her person.
Her associate, Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru (36), a U.S. citizen, was arrested six days later for allegedly aiding the smuggling operation. A third accused, Sahil Sakariya Jain (27), a jeweller from Ballari, was arrested on March 26 for allegedly helping dispose of the smuggled gold and facilitating hawala transactions.
On May 20, the Special Court for Economic Offences granted statutory bail to Ranya and Raju upon furnishing personal bonds of ₹2 lakh each with sureties. Jain was granted similar relief days later. However, all three remained in custody after the Central government invoked COFEPOSA in April 2025, enabling preventive detention despite bail.
