Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested after she was caught trying to smuggle 14.2kg gold worth Rs 12.56 crore into India. On Monday night, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained Rao at the Kempegowda International Airport, on a tip-off, and recovered the gold while searching the luggage. More gold was recovered in subsequent raids at her house in Bengaluru’s Lavelle Road.
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Rao had been flagged by the authorities due to her frequent round trips to Dubai – four visits in the past 15 days, and 10 visits since the start of the year. During the initial probe, Rao said claimed that she had been blackmailed into entering the smuggling racket, News18 reported.
How did Ranya Rao smuggle the gold?
Upon arriving at Kempegowda International Airport on an Emirates flight, she was escorted by a police constable to swiftly evade security checks. However, as she was about to exit the airport, the DRI officials stopped and searched her.
They found 14.2kg gold concealed within her jacket, including gold bars hidden in her belt. The authorities are now reviewing security camera footage of her previous arrivals, searching for suspicious activity. According to Times of India, earlier trips showed that Rao was always accompanied by an officer who assisted her in bypassing security checks, with a government vehicle waiting to pick her up.
The subsequent raids at her apartment led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
Rao has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days under the Customs Act of 1962.
