Ranya Rao case: DRI arrests third suspect, who 'helped sell smuggled gold'

Bengaluru: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested another suspect related to the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, according to well-placed sources.

The suspect was produced on Wednesday before the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru, which sent him to DRI custody. The court set March 29 as the next hearing date.

While DRI is yet to release his name, a well-placed police source told DH that the suspect was identified as Sahil Sakariya Jain.

"It is said that he is a gold dealer and a native of Ballari. However, he doesn't live there now and was most likely detained from Bengaluru," the source said.

Based on forensic analysis of digital evidence recovered from Ranya, the DRI issued a summons to Jain and he appeared at the agency's office at noon on March 25. The DRI questioned him and recorded his statement, and he was placed under arrest on Wednesday.

The agency claimed that the suspect helped Ranya sell the smuggled gold on at least three occasions and shared the sale proceeds, which was evident by his statement before the agency, sources said.

It also claimed that the suspect may continue to assist and abet in disposing of the smuggled gold. The DRI has informed the suspect's parents of the arrest whose residential address is in Ballari, as per an arrest memo note seen by DH.

With this, the number of arrested suspects in the case has risen to three.

On March 3, Ranya, 33, was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru when she arrived from Dubai. DRI officials alleged that she had concealed 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore on her person. The DRI believes that Ranya had smuggled in gold on two previous occasions, too, with Jain helping to sell it off.

On March 9, the DRI arrested Tarun Konduru Raju, 36, who is alleged to be a close associate of Ranya. The two are currently in judicial custody till April 7.

Both have moved the sessions court for bail after a lower court earlier rejected their pleas. While the court is set to pronounce its orders on Ranya’s plea on Thursday, Tarun’s plea will come up for hearing the same day and the DRI is likely to submit their objections.

Payment made in cash: Tarun

A copy of the DRI’s remand application seen by DH has revealed that Raju told the agency that payment for suppliers was always made in cash in the form of UAE Dirham (AED). He also told the agency that Ranya had arranged the money through the hawala route, which is also part of the DRI's objections to her bail plea.

Raju also told the agency that Ranya bought the gold from wholesale suppliers in Dubai and requested him to declare it to Dubai Customs in his name. She used to give Raju purchase documents and flight tickets from Dubai to Geneva in Switzerland for the declaration, as per the remand application. However, Ranya, instead smuggled the gold to India, DRI investigations so far have revealed.