India, March 27 -- A sessions court in Bengaluru on Thursday denied bail to Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, in connection with a Rs.12.56 crore gold smuggling case. This is the second time in two weeks that her bail has been rejected.

On March 14, a special court for economic offences had rejected her bail application. Before that, her bail request was turned down by the magistrate's court.

The prosecution asserted that the actress had admitted to using hawala networks to finance gold purchases, further solidifying the case against her. Officials have also invoked Section 108 of the Customs Act, necessitating a judicial inquiry.

During the previous hearing, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) co...