More gold found at actor Ranya Rao's Bengaluru home

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) raided the residence of Kannada actor Ranya Rao in Bengaluru after arresting her for smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore through Kempegowda International Airport.

The search at her Lavelle Road home led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash. With a total seizure of Rs 17.29 crore, it is one of the biggest gold smuggling cases at Bengaluru airport in recent times, as per the DRI.

Ranya, 32, had been on the DRI’s radar due to her frequent international travel. Officials found that she had flown to Dubai four times within 15 days, raising suspicions of smuggling activities. Based on this, a targeted operation was launched, and she was intercepted upon her arrival from Dubai on March 3 via an Emirates flight.

A detailed search led to the discovery of gold bars ingeniously concealed on her, following which she was taken into custody. Reports indicate that a large quantity of the smuggled gold was hidden inside her jacket.

During the investigation, Rao claimed that she was blackmailed into smuggling gold. The police also detained Constable Basavaraju and recorded a statement regarding his involvement in helping Rao at the airport.

The actress is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, who is serving as DGP Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation. Officials suspect that she may have attempted to leverage her connections to evade customs checks.

Ranya has made her debut in the Kannada movie Maanikya, produced by and starring Sudeep in 2014.