Gold Smuggling Bust: Actress Ranya Rao Held with 14.2 kg Haul

Kannada actress Ranya Rao was intercepted at Kempegowda International Airport with gold bars valued at Rs 12.56 crore. The total seizure amounted to Rs 17.29 crore. DRI officials leveraged specific intelligence to apprehend her for smuggling operations. She was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has made a significant breakthrough in disrupting gold smuggling networks, seizing gold bars valued at Rs 12.56 crore from Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Kempegowda International Airport. This operation marks one of the largest hauls in recent times at the Bengaluru airport.

Ranya Rao, who is connected to senior police official Ramachandra Rao, was intercepted following specific intelligence received by the DRI. Upon examination, officers found 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold ingeniously concealed on her person as she disembarked from an Emirates flight arriving from Dubai.

The subsequent search of her residence revealed additional assets including gold jewellery and Indian currency, bringing the total seizure to Rs 17.29 crore. The DRI emphasizes that such enforcement actions are crucial in curbing organized smuggling activities. Rao has been remanded to judicial custody under charges specified in the Customs Act, 1962.

(With inputs from agencies.)