The Karnataka High Court has dismissed two habeas corpus petitions challenging the preventive detention of the accused under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) in the gold-smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao. The case also involves a Ballari-based gold dealer, Sahil Sakariya Jain, who is among the accused.
The petitions were filed by Rama Raju, a relative of Konduru Tarun Raju, and Priyanka Sakariya, cousin of Sahil Sakariya Jain. Earlier, the court had also rejected a similar habeas corpus plea filed by H.P. Rohini, Ranya Rao’s mother, challenging her daughter’s detention under COFEPOSA.
Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3, 2025, for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kg of gold through Kempegowda International Airport. Based on her voluntary statement, Tarun Raju and Sahil Jain were subsequently arrested for allegedly helping dispose of the smuggled gold and facilitating hawala transfers to Dubai. A preventive detention order was issued against them on April 22 under COFEPOSA.
The petitioners contended that there was no material linking the accused to the airport seizure or any related transactions and cited procedural lapses. However, a division bench comprising Justices Anu Sivaraman and Vijayakumar A. Patil held that the detention order clearly detailed the role of each detenue. The bench observed that procedural safeguards had been complied with and that the detaining authority had reached its subjective satisfaction after examining all relevant aspects.