Kannada actress Ranya Rao’s husband Jatin Hukkeri has sought exemption from arrest in connection with the ongoing probe in the gold smuggling case. The Karnataka High Court last Tuesday ordered to not take any action against him till the next hearing.
Hukkeri’s advocate sought exemption from arrest saying that he married Rao, accused of smuggling over 14 kg of gold from Dubai, in November but the couple got separated in just one month.
Ranya, the stepdaughter of senior Karnataka IPS officer DGP K Ramachandra Rao, is currently lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail.
She was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after authorities seized 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore from her possession.
A raid at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery valued at Rs 2.06 crore and cash amounting to Rs 2.67 crore. Investigators suspect that she was part of a larger smuggling network.
