 "This Week in Explainers: How Ranya Rao hid the gold she smuggled into India")
It was not the best week for India. United States President Donald Trump reiterated his threats of reciprocal tariffs against the South Asian country. He made the remarks while addressing the joint address to the US Congress.
Many crime reports grabbed the headlines this week. From chilling murders to gold smuggling involving an actor, several stories caught the attention of readers.
India is staring at a big problem: It is projected to have the second-highest number of overweight and obese people in the world by 2050. Obesity is a growing problem affecting the world, with the situation set to worsen in the coming years.
Here’s all this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from India.
1. US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs against India and other nations on April 2. “Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn,” Trump said in his speech. “Whatever they tariff us, we will tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. If they use non-monetary barriers to keep us out of their market, we will do the same.”
The US president has targeted India over high tariffs on American imports many times before. While New Delhi has already taken steps to avert Trump’s trade war, it is unclear whether it will be able to get the Republican to change his mind before the looming deadline. But India’s taxes on which American imports does he have a problem with? We explain in this story .
2. A South Indian actor has been arrested for allegedly smuggling gold. Ranya Rao was nabbed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) upon her arrival at Bengaluru’s international airport from Dubai for possessing 14.8 kilogrammes of gold valued at nearly Rs 13 crore. The yellow metal was concealed inside a specially modified body-jacket.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRao, a Kannada actor and stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, had raised suspicions with her frequent travels to the UAE and calculated attempts to bypass customs upon her return. Her husband, Jatin Hukkeri , is also under scrutiny with the police alleging he accompanied the actor to Dubai several times.
While Rao smuggled gold as bars, officials say this is not the preferred method by most. They say smugglers have adapted to newer, sly methods to illegally bring the gold into the country. Read our story to find out.
3. Obesity is on the rise. A new study by The Lancet has revealed that more than half of all adults (3.8 billion) and a third of children and adolescents (746 million) will be overweight or obese globally.
In alarming news for India, as many as 45 crore citizens — almost a third of the population — are likely to be overweight or obese in the next 25 years. If India fails to check the obesity problem, the country could end up with health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and an overburdened economy. Here’s our report on why obesity is rising.
4. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde was forced to resign as Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister after the killing of popular Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. He had been under pressure to step down for more than three months after his close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in the murder case.
Munde’s resignation came after the photos of the brutal murder, attached with the court chargesheet, went viral on social media, triggering a huge outrage. But what led to Deshmukh’s murder? Read our report .
5. The murder of a young Congress worker has shocked the country. The body of Himani Narwal, 22, was found in a suitcase lying on the highway in Haryana’s Rohtak district. She was a Youth Congress worker who rose to fame after participating in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
बेहद दुखद खबर 🙏
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) March 1, 2025
युवा कांग्रेस में मेरे कार्यकाल के दौरान छोटी बहन @himani_narwal रोहतक ग्रामीण की जिला उपाध्यक्ष थी, चाहे भारत जोड़ो यात्रा हो या फिर संगठन का कोई कार्यक्रम, हिमानी ने हर जिम्मेदारी बखूबी निभाई।
आज रोहतक में हिमानी का शव एक सूटकेस में मिला, बर्बरता के साथ गला… pic.twitter.com/uJHx6kdYM6
The police have arrested a man named Sachin, a resident of Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, who has levelled allegations of extortion against Narwal. Here’s our story on the case.
6. West Bengal has been stunned by a triple murder case. The Kolkata Police have discovered a chilling tale of murders, a Rs 16-crore debt and a suicide pact involving the Dey family. The brothers Pranay and Prasun Dey, along with their wives, decided to end their lives, along with their teenage children, over their mounting debt.
However, things did not go as they had planned. As their initial “suicide pact” failed, the events took a darker turn. In this report , we look at the horrific tale of three murders, a crushing debt and human desperation.
This is all we have for you this week. If you like the way we explain news, you can bookmark this page .
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