 "Who is Ranya Rao, the Kannada actress caught smuggling gold bars in her belt?")
South Indian actress Ranya Rao is embroiled in controversy after being arrested at Bengaluru’s international airport for allegedly smuggling gold.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) took her into custody on Monday night upon her arrival from Dubai for possessing 14.8 kilogrammes of gold.
As per current gold rates, the price of the gold could be around Rs 13 crore.
Rao was presented before an economic offences court on March 4 in the evening and was remanded to 14 days in judicial custody.
The Delhi DRI team reportedly had intel on the actress’s smuggling activities.
Who is Ranya Rao?
Ranya Rao, 33, is the stepdaughter of K Ramachandra Rao, a senior IPS officer from Karnataka. He is currently serving as Director-General of Police (DGP) at Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, as per Hindustan Times.
Hailing from Karnataka’s Chikmagalur, she studied engineering at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru before stepping into the film industry.
She made her acting debut in 2014 with the Kannada film, Maanikya, directed by Sudeep. She portrayed a wealthy young woman and the protagonist’s love interest. According to Mint, she was cast in the supporting role after her mother and supporters shared her portfolio with casting coordinators.
She has also appeared in other South Indian films like the 2015 Tamil film Wagah and the Kannada comedy Pataki in 2017.
Why was she arrested?
Rao was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru for possessing 14.8 kilogrammes of gold.
She had arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight and had been on the police’s radar due to her frequent international travel.
The actress reportedly visited Dubai four times in 15 days, according to the police. When she returned, this frequency generated attention and led to a focused operation.
According to a preliminary investigation, Rao might have tried to get around customs inspections by using her contacts.
As per PTI, upon landing, she allegedly claimed to be the daughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police and contacted local police personnel to escort her home.
She allegedly smuggled the gold by wearing a large amount of it and hiding gold bars in her clothes, investigators revealed.
As per The Times of India report citing sources, officers were “shocked to find gold bars cleverly concealed in a belt."
“Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kilogrammes were found ingeniously concealed on person. The contraband, valued at Rs 12.56 crore was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962,” a DRI statement said.
After her arrest, Rao was taken to the DRI headquarters in Bengaluru’s HBR Layout for questioning.
According to the DRI statement, Rao’s residence at Bengaluru’s Lavelle Road was also searched and more gold jewellery was found there.
“Following the interception, DRI officers conducted a search at her residential premises located at Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, where she resides with her husband. The search resulted in the seizure of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore,” it said.
“The total seizure in the case stands at Rs 17.29 crore, marking a significant blow to organised gold smuggling networks,” the agency said.
Rao has been arrested under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and remanded to judicial custody.
In order to ascertain whether she has previously smuggled gold, officials are currently examining CCTV footage from her previous arrivals. They are also looking into whether she was a member of a bigger smuggling network between India and Dubai or if she was acting alone.
Nonetheless, her father has disassociated himself from her actions. He said that Rao had not been in touch with the family since he married Jatin Hukkeri four months ago. Hukkeri is an architect who has designed pubs and microbreweries.
Expressing shock and disappointment, he told The Times of India, “She has let us down. If she has done anything wrong, the law will take its course.”
Previous controversies
According to News18, Rao’s father was embroiled in a controversy in 2014.
When he was IGP (Southern Range), the Mysuru police was accused of misappropriating seized funds after a Kerala jeweller alleged that officers confiscated Rs 2 crore in cash but officially recorded only Rs 20 lakh.
After the CID looked into the matter, Rao’s gunman was taken into custody on suspicion of dacoity.
With inputs from agencies
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