Gold Smuggling Accused Kannada Actress Ranya Rao Sent To Judicial Custody For Two Weeks, 'Trembles' In Court

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Ranya Rao in a smuggling case on March 3 and presented her in a Bengaluru Court on Monday, March 10. Here, she admitted to having suffered mental harassment in the custody of the DRI for three days. Economic Offences Court judge extended her judicial custody till March 24. The court questioned Ranya about whether she was subjected to third-degree interrogation for allegedly smuggling gold from Dubai. To this, she said, "They didn’t hit me, but they verbally abused me badly. This has caused me severe mental distress." She also broke down in court.

Also read: DRI Uncovers Crucial Digital Evidence Against Ranya

Kannada actress Ranya Rao was detained at Bengaluru airport for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kg of gold from Dubai. During interrogation, she confessed to the recovery of 17 gold bars from her possession, sources in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said.

Investigators revealed that Ranya (identified in her passport as Harshavardini Ranya) had travelled to Dubai 27 times in the last six months, raising concerns about the purpose of these frequent visits.

Biggest gold seizure at Bengaluru airport

According to DRI officials, gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore were seized from 34-year-old actress Ranya Rao at the airport. Subsequent searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore.

Also read: Probe In Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case Widens As CBI Takes Over

The total seizure in the case stood at ₹17.29 crore, including assets worth Rs 4.73 crore, marking a significant blow to organised gold smuggling networks. Officials claimed that the 14.2 kg haul is one of the largest gold seizures at Bengaluru airport in recent times.