BENGALURU: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has issued notices to Sandalwood actress Ranya Rao and three others accused in a gold smuggling case. The central agency has imposed a fine of Rs 271 crore on the accused for allegedly smuggling 324 kg of gold into the country from Dubai.
According to the DRI notice, prime accused Ranya Rao, who is the daughter of senior IPS officer and DGP-directorate of civil rights enforcement, Ramachandra Rao, will have to pay a fine of Rs 102 crore for smuggling 127 kg of gold.
Tarun K Raju, the second accused and a close associate of Ranya, was slapped with a fine of Rs 63 crore for smuggling in 71 kg of the yellow metal, while Sahil Sakariya Jain and his close relative Bharat Jain were fined Rs 53 crore each for sneaking in 126 kg (63 kg each) of gold into the country. According to sources, the DRI notice did not specify a time limit for payment of the fine.
Ranya case: DRI can seize & attach properties of accused However, they have been directed to reply to the notice at the earliest," sources said, adding the seized items are gold bars, which are "prohibited and attract a 100% fine".
A senior cop said the accused persons have the option to contest the case up to the Supreme Court.
The law empowers DRI to seize and attach properties of accused persons to recover the fine amount. "But seizing and attaching properties require a lot of documentation, stretching over months," he said.
All the accused are currently in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison, with Ranya having challenged her detention in high court.