The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a major international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, arresting five individuals and seizing a significant quantity of gold.
Former Nepal speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case dating back three years. He is accused of assisting criminal gangs in selling smuggled gold.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has imposed a hefty fine on Kannada film actress Ranya Rao and others in connection with a gold smuggling case. The actress was caught with 14.8 kg of gold at Bengaluru airport.
A Special Court of Economic Offences in Bengaluru rejected the bail plea of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, who is accused of gold smuggling. The second accused, Tarun Raju, has been remanded to judicial custody for 15 days. Ranya, the stepdaughter of a DGP rank officer, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 after gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from her. Subsequent searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery and Indian currency. Authorities discovered that Tarun Raju allegedly facilitated the smuggling operation by coordinating the gold's transport and distribution within India.
Customs officials at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport have thwarted two separate gold smuggling attempts, seizing over 3.17 kg of gold worth approximately Rs 4.35 crore and arresting three foreign nationals.
Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment under COFEPOSA in connection with a gold smuggling case. She was caught with 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately Rs 12.56 crore, at Kempegowda International Airport.
Odisha police conducted coordinated raids across multiple districts targeting individuals involved in illegal cattle transportation and smuggling, resulting in significant seizures and detentions.
The Director General of Police (DGP) of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, Ramachandra Rao, has denied any knowledge of his stepdaughter Ranya Rao's alleged involvement in gold smuggling. Rao expressed deep distress over the incident, saying his reputation has been tarnished irreparably. He emphasised his lifelong dedication to honesty, integrity and discipline, and said his commitment to public service has always been his priority. Rao said he had no knowledge of the situation unfolding in his life and asked for fairness towards himself and his family. The DGP assured that if any laws were violated by Ranya, legal action would be taken.
Ramachandra Rao is presently serving as the Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Officials were surprised at how quickly smugglers appraised the Covid situation to recruit jobless migrant workers to ship gold.
AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal has released an open letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging secret deals with BJP leaders and the central government, raising questions about the LDF government's functioning ahead of the Assembly elections.
According to a source, Suhail Thanalot, a senior crew member of AIE and a native of Thillenkeri in Kannur district, was apprehended following intelligence and evidence compiled by the DRI regarding his involvement in the gold smuggling incident.
In the second half of April, the discount on gold came down to $3 an ounce.
Swapna is among the four accused booked by the NIA in the smuggling of 30 kg of gold through diplomatic baggage which arrived at the Thiruvanathapuram International airport.
A day after Suresh, a prime accused who was recently released on bail gave a series of interviews to television channels, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi's office of intervening to get the illegal baggage released and helping the accused to leave the state.
As govt tries hard to choke the metal import, entry through unofficial channels doubled to 60 tonnes in first 5 months of this financial year
NIA said that accused Ramees KT and Sharafudheen had travelled to Tanzania and visited shops in the African country where guns are sold. In Tanzania, Rameez attempted to procure a licence for the diamond business. He later smuggled gold to the UAE.
The gold, weighing over 30 kg, was seized from the "diplomatic baggage" that had landed by air cargo at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport recently from the Gulf.
NSEL, has up to Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) daily turnover in e-golds.
The ED case has been booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the agency will record the statement of the accused. The central agency will investigate if proceeds of crime were generated by the accused by laundering of funds that were earned through the alleged gold smuggling racket.
Key accused in the sensational gold smuggling in diplomatic bags case, Swapna Suresh, on Wednesday claimed a co-accused in the case was allegedly forcibly taken away from her residence on Wednesday morning, after she claimed there was a threat to her life and that is why she gave a statement to a court about the alleged involvement of others, including the Kerala chief minister.
An alert has been issued by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, lead agency to check smuggling and customs duty evasion, to all international transit points across the country, official sources said.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully intercepted and seized 512 kg of red sanders at Cochin Port, preventing its illegal export to China. The red sanders were concealed within a consignment declared as rubber core veneer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against smugglers bringing gold into India from abroad through various airports. The investigation follows the recent arrest of Kannada actor Ranya Rao at Bengaluru airport with 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore. Two CBI teams have been deployed to Mumbai and Bengaluru airports to gather information.
Based on the estimate, a courier bringing in 1 kg of gold currently worth around $40,000 at world prices could earn $470 if not caught.
The enforcement agencies during the first nine months of 2013-14 have seized 1,074.41 kg of gold
In a letter written by Director General of DRI Najeeb Shah, Air India has been asked to sanitise its staff, especially those involved in ground-handling duties, official sources said.
Kerala IT Secretary M Sivasankar was removed as Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday, in the backdrop of the gold smuggling controversy, where the role of a former woman employee of the IT department is being probed.
The stringent curbs on gold imports has resulted in a huge flow of smuggled gold, being financed by buying dollars from the hawala market.
UDF convener Benni Behanan said the Front has also decided to move a resolution against Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and seek his resignation.
The Mumbai Customs department seized narcotics, foreign currency, gold, and precious stones worth over Rs 46 crore at the Mumbai international airport in a week.
The Congress demanded a National Investigation Agency probe into the matter while BJP state chief K Surendran courted arrest for forcefully entering the complex soon after the fire broke out. Fire department sources told PTI that their personnel at nearby Chenkalchoola were informed about the incident at 4.45 pm and by the time they reached the spot, the room was filled with smoke.
India is scrambling to crack down on a new gold smuggling tactic that it fears could accelerate a flood of illegal imports of the precious metal into the world's second-biggest buyer.
Kannada actress Ranya Rao, along with businessman Tarun Raju and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain, had their judicial custody extended until April 21 in connection with a gold smuggling case. The trio is accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over Rs 12.56 crore from Dubai to India. The case came to light in March 2025 when Rao was apprehended at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport with 14.8 kilograms of gold allegedly smuggled from Dubai. Investigations revealed her association with Vira Diamonds Trading, a Dubai-based firm she co-founded with Tarun Raju, which authorities allege was used as a front for smuggling operations. Raju was arrested following evidence of his involvement in purchasing gold in Dubai and facilitating its illegal transport to India. Jeweller Sahil Jain is suspected of assisting Ranya in selling approximately 49 kilograms of smuggled gold valued at over Rs 40 crore and managing hawala transactions.
A controversy surrounding the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple has ignited a political row in Kerala, with opposition parties alleging theft and demanding a comprehensive investigation into temple inventories and the role of a sponsor in the replating process.
Rao acted in an "obscene manner which is unbecoming of a government servant and also caused embarrassment to the government", his suspension order read.
The searches by the ED also covered certain vehicle owners, auto workshops, and traders in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu).
While some of them were excellent, most were passable. But many were far superior to the theatrical releases.
Recent regulations may have caused official gold imports to fall dramatically but evidence of smuggling is rising.
It is difficult to make conveyor belt and baggage-scanning scenes thrilling -- which is how most people trying to sneak out through the Green Channel are caught -- but Neeraj Pandey and co-director Raghav M Jairath and co-writer Vipul K Rawal make sure there is enough going on to make the series watchable, raves Deepa Gahlot.
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