Kannada film actress Ranya Rao was apprehended at Bengaluru International Airport on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.86 crore. According to sources, she had strapped 14 gold bars to her thighs using tape and bandages to evade detection by Customs officials.
Rao (33), the stepdaughter of a senior DGP-rank IPS officer in Karnataka, was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after they received intelligence about her arrival with the smuggled gold.
While some reports suggested she concealed the gold in a jacket, the DRI clarified that the bars were found on her person during a physical check. “Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were ingeniously concealed on (her) person,” the agency stated. Rao had reportedly secured the 1 kg bars with tape and crepe bandages under her pants.
Describing it as “one of the biggest gold seizures at Bengaluru International Airport in recent times,” the DRI is investigating whether Rao had smuggled gold in a similar manner before. Her frequent short-interval trips to Dubai and Malaysia—sometimes within five to ten days—had raised suspicions, eventually leading to intelligence inputs about her March 3 arrival with a large consignment.
Sources revealed that Rao often used VIP channels to bypass rigorous checks at Bengaluru airport, with protocol officials assisting her smooth exit. On the day of her arrest, she was accompanied by her architect husband, whom she married four months ago.
Her stepfather, a senior IPS officer, distanced himself from her, stating that she had cut ties with the family since her marriage. “Ranya and her husband got married in 2024, and since then, they have maintained complete independence and privacy. She stopped visiting the family home, and we were also not given opportunities to visit them,” read an unsigned statement attributed to him. However, Rao and her husband had attended the wedding of the police officer’s stepson in Bengaluru in February.
Following her arrest, a DRI search of her residence led to the seizure of ₹2.06 crore worth of jewellery and ₹2.67 crore in cash, bringing the total value of the seizure to ₹17.29 crore.
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“The lady passenger has been placed under arrest under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and remanded to judicial custody,” the DRI stated.
Rao, who was sent to judicial custody until March 18 by a special court for economic offences, is expected to seek bail on Thursday.
She entered the Kannada film industry in 2014 at the age of 22 and played lead roles in three films.
Rao’s stepfather was previously transferred after a suspicious case involving the transport of cash and gold from Karnataka to Kerala on a bus, though no formal action was taken against him. Last year, his stepson was questioned by a Karnataka Police special investigation team for alleged links to international hacker Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki. The stepson recently married the daughter of a former Kannada actress-turned-politician.
On Thursday, the DRI filed a plea in the special court seeking three-day custody of Rao from March 9, citing a statement obtained from her as grounds for further interrogation.
The agency informed the court that Rao had traveled to Dubai 27 times in the past six months, raising questions about the purpose of these frequent visits.
Her advocate opposed the plea, arguing that the DRI had already seized electronic gadgets and other evidence for the investigation.
The court has scheduled the DRI’s custody plea hearing for March 7 and postponed Rao’s bail plea hearing.
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