South Industry actress Ranya Rao is in big legal trouble these days. Recently, in the ongoing case under the Foreign Exchange Conservation and Prevention of Smuggling Act (COFEPOSA), the Advisory Board has given its verdict and directed not to grant bail to Ranya Rao during the period of detention. The board made it clear that now Ranya Rao can be kept in custody for a period of one year, whether formally charged or not.

The matter came into the limelight when Ranya Rao and her co-accused Tarun Raju got default bail from the court on May 20, as the DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) was unable to file a chargesheet within the stipulated time limit. The court had granted bail to both of them with a bond of Rs 2 lakh each and conditions. But despite this, both of them were kept in custody under COFEPOSA, as this law allows detention for up to one year only on the basis of suspicion even without a chargesheet.

The whole controversy started in March 2025, when Ranya Rao returned from Dubai and was trying to pass through the green channel of Kempegowda International Airport. This channel is usually for passengers who have duty-free luggage. But when DRI officials asked Ranya if she had any undeclared luggage, she panicked. In the investigation that followed, a total of 14.2 kg of gold was recovered from Ranya, which was valued at around Rs 12.56 crore.

After the gold was found, Ranya was immediately taken into custody. Earlier also, her bail plea has been rejected twice by the lower court and later by the Karnataka High Court. Now the way has been cleared to keep her in custody for a year under COFEPOSA. This matter has become a topic of discussion not only in the legal corridors but also in the film industry.