Gold smuggling case: Actress Ranya Rao’s husband Jatin Hukkeri seeks exemption from arrest, says married in Nov, separated in Dec

Actress Ranya Rao who was arrested in connection with gold smuggling case is still in jail while Ranya Rao’s husband Jatin Hukkeri has sought exemption from arrest and filed a plea in court. Seeking exemption, Hukkeri’s advocate Prabhuling Navadagi gave a statement in court saying that Hukkeri married Ranya Rao in November and the two separated in December. The advocate also said that the two separated unofficially with certain issues between them, though untold.  

The Karnataka High Court ordered the police to not take any action against Ranya Rao’s husband Jatin Hukkeri till the next hearing. In the fresh hearing the High Court also said that this order will remain till next Monday, when the next hearing will take place. However, the lawyer for Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Madhu Rao, said they will file objection next Monday.  

Jatin Hukkeri had earlier appealed to the court for exemption from arrest as he feared that due to his marital link with actress Ranya Rao, he could also be taken into police custody. Jatin Hukkeri became known after Ranya’s stepfather, IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, mentioned his stepdaughter’s marital status. He had said that after Ranya Rao was married, she started to maintain distance from her family. Ramachandra Rao, Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation managing director, made the statement soon after Ranya Rao’s arrest, after which his connection with her also came to limelight.  

DGP Ramchandra Rao, has been sent on compulsory leave until further orders. Ranya Rao approached a Sessions Court in Bengaluru for bail. Her move came after the Special Court for Economic Offences here denied her bail on Friday. 

While denying the bail to Ranya Rao, the Special Court for Economic Offences said that the charges against the actress were serious. She was arrested on March 3 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) in Bengaluru for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kilograms of gold from Dubai. 

The CBI has filed an FIR in the gold smuggling case on the complaint of Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI.