Kannada actor Ranya Rao was on Wednesday arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport for allegedly smuggling gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore and weighing 14.2 kilograms. Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, reportedly visited Dubai several times in a year for allegedly smuggling the precious metal into India.
After the shocking recovery at the airport, DRI officers searched her residence on Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, where she lives with her husband. The search led to the seizure of gold jewelry worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore.
Ranya Rao visited Dubai 30 times in a year for allegedly smuggling gold worth crores, India Today reported citing sources. HT can’t verify the claim made in the report.
The sources told the news channel that Ranya Rao was paid ₹1 lakh per kg of gold she allegedly smuggled. She smuggled several kilograms of gold into India, earning ₹13 lakh per trip.
The probe revealed that she used modified jackets and waist belts repeatedly for her smuggling operations.
Also read: ‘DGP’s daughter or not…’: Congress MLA says no special treatment to Ranya Rao
She had been under the scanner of DRI due to her frequent international travel. She was frisked because of DRI surveillance, leading to her arrest.
The report said that a local constable helped her bypass security.
When DRI intercepted her, the channel reported, the constable intervened and told the officials that she was the DGP’s daughter. However, the agency, which had prior intelligence, frisked and arrested her.
Ranya Rao arrest: Total seizure amounts to ₹17.29 crore
The total seizure in the case stood at ₹17.29 crore, including assets worth ₹4.73 crore.
Meanwhile, Ranya Rao’s father, senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao. expressed shock at her arrest.
“I was also shocked and devastated when such an incident came to my notice through the media, I was not aware of any of these things, and like any other father, I was also shocked. She is not living with us, she is living separately with her husband, there must be some problems between them due to some family issues. Anyway, the law will do its job, there is no black mark in my career. I don’t want to say anything more,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.