Kannada Actress Ranya Rao Arrested for Gold Smuggling

Kannada actress Ranya Rao has become a major puzzle for the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). On March 3, she was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport with 14.2 kg of gold. A case of gold smuggling has been registered against her. While the court has sent Ranya to 14 days of judicial custody, the police seized jewelry worth ₹2.1 crore and ₹2.7 crore in cash from her luxurious apartment on Lavelle Road on Wednesday.

Ranya Rao’s arrest is particularly shocking as she is the stepdaughter of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer DGP Ramachandra Rao. He currently serves as the Chairman and Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

The arrest was made based on intelligence inputs. Reports suggest that Ranya Rao traveled to Dubai four times in the past 15 days. Interestingly, she wore the same type of clothing on all these trips, which raised suspicions among officials. Further investigation revealed that she had visited Dubai around 30 times in recent years and smuggled several kilograms of gold each time. According to a report, she was paid ₹1 lakh per kilogram of gold smuggled.

When Ranya landed on Monday, she identified herself as the daughter of Karnataka’s DGP and tried to use local police contacts to get out of the airport. However, the DRI team took her to the Bengaluru headquarters. During interrogation, Ranya claimed that she had traveled to Dubai for business purposes.

The total value of the assets seized from the actress, including the airport and her home, is estimated at ₹17.36 crore. According to DRI officials, the 14.20 kg gold bars recovered from her are worth ₹12.56 crore.

On the other hand, DGP Ramachandra Rao has distanced himself from Ranya. He stated, “There is no stain on my police career. Like any other father, I came to know about this from the media. I have nothing more to say. Ranya no longer lives with us; she stays separately with her husband.”