Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru airport for smuggling 14.8 kg of gold. Ranya had hidden the gold in her clothes and belt. Officials recovered cash and jewellery worth crores of rupees from her flat after her arrest. Ranya's father, Karnataka DGP Ramachandra Rao, has distanced himself from the case.

Highlights

1. A special jacket was made for smuggling.
2. Arrested with 14 kg gold.
3. DGP used to use her father's name.

JNN, New Delhi. Kannada actress Ranya Rao, arrested on charges of gold smuggling, used to smuggle gold by hiding it in belts and clothes. For this, she had made a special jacket. According to the officers investigating the case, Ranya used her DGP father's name to avoid suspicion. She used to call policemen for pick-up, who would then take her home from the airport.

Officials said investigations are on to ascertain if any of the policemen associated with her were involved in the gold smuggling. Ranya is the stepdaughter of Karnataka DGP-rank officer Ramachandra Rao. Ramachandra is currently the chairman and managing director of Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

In the raid conducted after Ranya's arrest at Bengaluru International Airport, cash and gold worth crores of rupees were seized from Ranya's flat in Bengaluru.

Arrested with 14 kg gold

Ranya was arrested by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the airport for smuggling 14.8 kg of gold when she arrived in Bengaluru from Dubai on an Emirates flight on Monday night. The gold bars seized from her are worth Rs 12.56 crore. Ranya was frequently traveling to Dubai. Due to this, DRI officials were keeping an eye on the activities of the actress.

According to DRI officials, the 14.2 kg gold is one of the biggest seizures at the Bengaluru airport in recent times. Following Ranya's arrest, officials on Wednesday raided her flat in Bengaluru's Lavelle Road, where she lives with her husband. Gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and cash worth Rs 2.67 crore were seized during the search. There she had allegedly paid Rs 4.5 lakh as rent. So far, seizures worth Rs 17.29 crore have been made in the case. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, the investigation is on. Let the DRI complete the inquiry. I have asked my department to look into it.

Father separated himself from his daughter

Ramachandra Rao has distanced himself from Ranya, saying he has not been in touch with her since her marriage. She lives with her husband. "The law will take its course. My career has been spotless. I was shocked when this came to my notice through the media. I had no idea about this," he said.

Ramachandra Rao, after the death of his first wife, married a woman who has two daughters from her first marriage. Ranya is one of them."

Four trips to Dubai in 15 days

Sources said that DRI gathered information about the actress after Ranya visited Dubai four times in the last 15 days and returned to Bengaluru. The Finance Ministry said in a statement, following intelligence, DRI stopped a 33-year-old Indian woman (Ranya) carrying gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. She arrived in Bengaluru from Dubai on March 3 by Emirates flight. It is said that two people accompanying Ranya were carrying smuggled gold in a briefcase. She had almost completed the security check and was about to leave when the DRI team stopped her and searched her. On investigation, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were found which she had hidden in her body. It is worth noting that DRI works under the Ministry of Finance.

Ranya sent to judicial custody

Sent to judicial custody Ranya was arrested under the Customs Act. She was produced before a special court on Tuesday. The judge sent her to judicial custody till March 18. Ranya has acted as the lead actress opposite Kannada superstar Sudeep in the film. She has also acted in other South Indian language films.