Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday night after she was found in possession of 14.8 kilogram of gold.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) made the arrest, officials quoted in a news agency PTI report informed. Ranya Rao was presented before an economic offences court, which remanded her to 14 days in judicial custody.
Who is Ranya Rao
Ranya Rao, known for her role opposite Kannada superstar Sudeep in ‘Maanikya’ (2014), has also appeared in a few other South Indian films.
The cops are investigating whether she was acting alone or was part of a larger smuggling network operating between Dubai and India. According to the police, the actress came on their radar after she travelled to Dubai four times in 15 days. Such a frequency raised eyebrows and prompted a targeted operation after she returned on Monday.
Ranya Rao, 33, is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer from Karnataka, K. Ramachandra Rao. He is serving as Director-General of Police (DGP) at Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation.
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Chain of events leading to Ranya Rao’s arrest
According to the officials quoted in the PTI report, Ranya Rao had arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru from Dubai on an Emirates flight. She had been under surveillance due to her frequent international travel.
Cops grew suspicious after noticing that she had travelled to Dubai four times in 15 days, prompting a targeted operation upon her return.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Rao may have attempted to use her connections to bypass customs checks. The PTI report also indicates that upon landing, she allegedly claimed to be the daughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police and contacted local police personnel to escort her home.
Investigators revealed that she had allegedly smuggled the gold by wearing a significant portion of it and concealing gold bars in her clothing.
Officials are now probing whether any law enforcement officers, including her IPS relative, were aware of her activities or were misled into assisting her. After her arrest, Rao was taken to the DRI headquarters in Bengaluru’s HBR Layout for questioning.
