Source Credit: NDTV
Kannada actor Ranya Rao was arrested in a gold-smuggling incident after gold bars worth 14 kg and Rs. 14.56 crore were seized from her at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
On last Friday, a special court for economic offences gave three-day DRI custody of Ranya Rao. DRI sought her custody to establish the nature of her involvement in the gold smuggling syndicate and the national security angle.
The 33-year-old actress, who is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer, was arrested while trying to smuggle the gold on Monday. While some gold was hidden in her clothes, some were worn by her. Revenue officials had been closely monitoring her repeated trips to Dubai. Her fourth trip in 15 days drew the attention of the Revenue Intelligence. She was stopped before exiting the airport.
A subsequent search of her residences discovered gold ornaments of Rs. 2.06 crore and Rs. 2.67 crore in Indian currency. Authorities say Rao played a pivotal role in the smuggling ring and received hefty commissions for ferrying gold from Dubai to Bengaluru.
In her confession, Rao said she had carried 17 gold bars and furnished details of her international movement, including visits to Dubai, Europe, the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia. The actor has mentioned her family, like father real estate businessman KS Hegdesh and husband architect Jatin Hukkeri, and has shown cooperation with the investigating officers despite her arrest.
