A Bengaluru special court for economic offences has rejected the bail plea of Sahil Sakariya Jain, a 26-year-old hawala operator and a key accused in a high-profile gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the court delivered its decision on Tuesday, citing the seriousness of the charges and Jain’s alleged central role in a sophisticated international smuggling and hawala network.

Arrest and Allegations

Sahil Jain was arrested on March 26 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after being identified as the intended recipient of 14.2 kg of gold smuggled from Dubai by Ranya Rao and Telugu actor Tarun Konduru Raju.

Investigators say that Jain not only received smuggled gold but also handled hawala transactions, sending about ₹39.39 crore to Dubai. Between November 2024 and February 2025, he allegedly helped Ranya Rao get rid of around 50 kg of smuggled gold, worth over ₹40 crore.

Court’s Reasoning

The court said that under the Customs Act, a person can be punished even if they didn’t have the smuggled goods on them—just dealing with illegal goods knowingly is enough.

It also pointed to Jain’s past record and his awareness of the illegal activities as reasons for denying him bail.