Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 12 : The Economic Offences Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday adjourned the bail hearing of Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested at Bengaluru airport for allegedly smuggling gold till March 14 (Friday).
Meanwhile, the order on bail application has been reserved till March 14.
Congress MLA Ajay Dharam Singh alleged the involvement of the central minister in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case.
"It could be the central minister's hands...she was coming from an international destination, they have all the information from Dubai, it is their responsibility. So, if they are alleging, they might be hinting at the central government, not the state government," Singh said.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya shared a picture of actress Ranya Rao, who is accused in an alleged gold smuggling case, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said that this case has now reached the CM's doorstep.
In a post on X, Amit Malviya with the hashtag "Congress Gold Field" said, "The Ranya Rao gold smuggling case in Karnataka has now reached the doorstep of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This dated photo also features the current Home Minister, G Parmeshwara. Ironically, the man dismissing any political links is none other than Congress's CM-in-waiting, DK Shivakumar."
This comes after Bharatiya Janata Party leaders raised allegations of the involvement of Karnataka ministers.
Karnataka's Additional Chief Secretary, Gaurav Gupta, has been appointed as the investigating officer in this case. The Chief Minister has instructed that the report be submitted within a week.
It is alleged that actress Ranya Rao misused her name and the courtesy services offered to her to "evade" airport checks and conduct "illegal" activities.
Investigating officer Gaurav Gupta will investigate the facts and circumstances leading to the availment of the courtesy facilities and the role of IPS Rao in this case.
Notably, actress Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) in Bengaluru for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kilograms of gold from Dubai.
Ranya, the stepdaughter of DGP K. Ramachandra Rao, was produced before a special court judge on the evening of March 4 for financial offences.
On March 4, Ranya Rao was produced before a special court for financial offences and was remanded to judicial custody until March 18.
Prior to her transfer to custody, she underwent a medical examination at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. During her questioning, Rao claimed that her trip to Dubai was for business purposes. However, authorities suspect that her visit was linked to the illegal importation of gold.
Then, she was remanded to the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) until March 10, which was extended till March 24.