Kannada actress Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of Karnataka Director-General of Police Ramachandra Rao, was arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday for allegedly smuggling in 14.2kg of gold worth Rs12.56 crore ($1.9 million).
The 33-year-old, who had flown in from Dubai on an Emirates flight, was intercepted by officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) based on specific information.
Authorities had been monitoring her movements after she made four short trips to Dubai within 15 days, raising suspicion, reported NDTV.
It is alleged that she attempted to use her connections to evade security checks, reportedly declaring herself as the daughter of a senior police officer and contacting local police for an escort.
DRI officials stopped Ranya and her two associates just before they could clear airport security.
Upon searching, officers discovered gold bars concealed on her person and inside her clothing, while her companions allegedly carried more in briefcases.
Following her arrest, investigators conducted a search at her residence on Lavelle Road, where they recovered gold jewellery worth Rs2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs2.67 crore, bringing the total seizure to Rs17.29 crore.
Officials have described this as one of the biggest gold smuggling busts at Bengaluru airport in recent times, reported the Hindustan Times.
Ranya, who completed an engineering degree from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru, has been remanded to judicial custody under the Customs Act, 1962, while authorities continue their probe into the origins of the smuggled gold and potential links to organised crime networks.
Ranya started her career in 2014 with the Kannada film Maanikya starring superstar Sudeep. She also appeared in the Tamil film Wagah (2016) opposite Vikram Prabhu and in the Kannada comedy Pataki (2017), where she portrays a journalist.
The case has taken a political turn due to her connection to DGP Rao, who heads the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation.
The senior police officer re-married after his first wife died. His second wife has two daughters from her first marriage, of whom Ranya is one.
The officer has distanced himself from the case, stating that he was unaware of Ranya’s activities and learnt about her arrest through the media.
“She got married four months ago and hasn’t visited us since,” he told the Times of India. “We are unaware of her or her husband’s business dealings.
“This has come as a huge shock and disappointment. The law will take its course.”
Meanwhile, investigators are looking into possible police links that may have helped Ranya bypass security and are working to determine whether she was acting alone or as part of a larger smuggling network.
