Kannada actor Ranya Rao lost Rs. 50 crore to a Ugandan Agent named Ben on her initial attempt at gold smuggling, officials said on Saturday.
Rao and her associate, Tarun Konduru Raju, had reportedly tried sourcing gold through Dubai after they were cheated by the agent who offered to get them gold directly from the African country. The ED’s charge sheet also revealed that the Rao and Raju had tried to source gold initially from African countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, using Dubai as a transit and trading hub.
Ranya Rao was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence after she arrived at Bengaluru airport from Dubai with a consignment of 14.213 kg of gold, valued at ₹12.56 crore, concealed on her body. The agency had also snatched attached assets worth Rs 34.12 crore held in the name of Rao after an ED probe into the case.
Between March 2024 and March 2025, the gold syndicate run by Rao and Raju had smuggled over 127 kg of gold valued at Rs 102 crore, the agency said.
Rao and Raju sourced the gold in Dubai by opening a company called Vira Diamonds Trading LLC in Dubai to facilitate the import of precious metals. They were advised that the primary source of gold was mined, so they attempted to procure the metal from countries on the continent.
In late 2023, they came in contact with Ugandan Agent Ben, who agreed to give them a 5-kilogram trial, which would be followed by a 50 kg contract.
They signed the deal and paid the agent $25,000, followed by $10,000 two times for purported taxes and fees. The gold never arrived, and Raju travelled to Kampala on January 1 2024, to meet the agent. At the refiner in Kampala, he was shown the gold, but they asked for an additional payment of Rs 1.70 crore to release the consignment
“Raju eventually discovered that it was a scam, resulting in a loss exceeding ₹2 crore,” the official said.
The ED said that the WhatsApp chats recovered from the accused showed that payments were made to the African suppliers, but that they didn't have material evidence to substantiate the alleged scam.
In one WhatsApp exchange with contact ‘Ben EGR’ (Uganda), Ranya explicitly inquired about the receipt of $110,000 and the return of $210,000, indicating that substantial sums had been advanced for gold purchases,” the official added.
The two had also had to abort a similar venture in Renya, and that Raju had even sought help from Kenyan officials regarding the fraud, officials said.
After their failed attempt, The duo began purchasing old directly from Dubai's local market.
Rather than importing directly from African mines, they began purchasing gold within Dubai’s local market from African dealers based in the Deira gold souk. By early 2024, they connected with African gold dealers in Dubai who offered limited quantities at discounts, essentially tapping into African-origin gold that had already reached Dubai. These Dubai-based suppliers insisted on cash payments and refused bank transfers, as is common in illicit bullion trades. Rao, who managed the finances, accordingly arranged large cash sums in Dubai’s currency (AED) to buy gold from such dealers,” the official said.
The ED recorded a total of 15 trips of Rao from Dubai to India between March 2024 and 205 to smuggle 127.87 kilograms of gold. The charge sheet against the accused also elaborated on the misuse of the airport meant for VIPs by Rao. DRI officials had intercepted Ranya Rao who is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao, Kempegowda International Airport on March 2, 2025. A prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLA against Rao, Raju and hawala dealer Sahil Sakariya before a Bengaluru court.
The agency is now investigating the role of public servants in the case, officials said.
