The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested the third suspect, Sahil Sakariya Jain, in connection with the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case for his alleged role in disposing of smuggled gold linked to the case.
Sahil was presented before a magistrate at his residence on March 26, after which the authorities obtained four days of custody for further investigation. The DRI suspects his role may be a key link in exposing the larger smuggling network. After Ranya and her business associate Tarun Kondaru Raju, Sahil is the third person to be arrested in connection with the gold smuggling racket.
Who is Sahil Sakariya Jain?
Sahil Sakariya Jain, a resident of Brahmin's Street in Ballari and the son of businessman Mahendra Kumar Jain, came under the DRI's radar after investigators discovered frequent communication between him and Ranya before and after her overseas trips. During interrogation, Ranya also reportedly mentioned Sahil.
According to DRI, Sahil's involvement was first discovered through scrutiny of digital evidence and later from Ranya's voluntary disclosures.
The authorities stated that Sahil's involvement was initially uncovered through the analysis of digital evidence, followed by voluntary disclosures from Ranya. The arrest memo addressed to Sahil read, "The WhatsApp chats found on your mobile phones show that you played an active role in facilitating money transfers to Dubai and aiding in the disposal of smuggled gold. Although you deny involvement in the sale of the gold, the digital evidence indicates your full participation."
"Sahil Jain assisted and abetted in the smuggling of gold, weighing around 14.5 kg and valued at Rs 11.55 crore, into India, which appears to have been smuggled into the country by Ranya Rao on January 11 this year. Sahil's act resulted in a loss of Rs 4.46 crore to the exchequer. Also, from his statement, it becomes evident that he assisted and abetted Ranya Rao on two other occasions,” the DRI told the court.
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