Ranya Rao was one step away from clearing airport security with 14.8 kg of gold when DRI sleuths arrested her
BENGALURU,MAR 5 : Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 14.8 kg of gold worth over Rs 12 crore from Dubai, has claimed that she was blackmailed into smuggling gold.
During interrogation, the actor claimed that she was blackmailed into smuggling gold, News 18 reported.
The police also detained Constable Basavaraju and recorded a statement regarding his involvement in helping Rao at the airport, the report said.
Upon landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from Dubai on an Emirates flight, the actress tried to bypass security checks with the help of police constable Basavaraju, who accompanied her. However, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths who had a heads-up about her activities, caught her red-handed with the gold consignment.
Another report said she was one step away from clearing airport security at Bengaluru when a team of DRI officials intercepted her and recovered gold bars worth Rs 12 crore she was allegedly smuggling.
The NDTV quoting reports said that Ranya Rao had been making frequent short visits to Gulf countries and this put her on the DRI radar.
Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, who currently serves as the Director General of Police (DGP) at the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation. The officer’s first wife had died and he married a woman who had two daughters from her first marriage. Ranya is one of them.
According to India Today, after her arrest, the DRI officials raided Ranya Rao’s Lavelle Road residence and recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash.
Known for her roles in films like ‘Maanikya’ and ‘Pataki’, Ranya, 33, had been on the DRI’s radar due to her frequent international travel. Officials found that she had flown to Dubai four times within 15 days, raising suspicions of smuggling activities. Based on this, a targeted operation was launched, and she was intercepted upon her arrival from Dubai on March 3 via an Emirates flight, India Today report said.
DGP Rao told Times of India that he had no connection to his daughter’s activities. “She got married four months ago and hasn’t visited us since. We are unaware of her or her husband’s business dealings. This has come as a huge shock and disappointment. The law will take its course,” he said.
-PTI
