Actor Ranya Rao Named In Rs 102-Crore Gold Smuggling Case Chargesheet

Kannada actor Ranya Rao has been named in the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet in a Rs 102 crore gold smuggling case, alleging the syndicate smuggled over 127 kg of gold in a year to India and disposed it off in the domestic market through a network of handlers and jewellers.

Besides Rao, the federal probe agency named Tarun Konduru, the actor's alleged associate, and Bellari-based gold dealer Sahil Sakariya Jain in the prosecution complaint - an ED equivalent of a chargesheet.

The chargesheet was filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Bengaluru.

Ranya Rao, the 33-year-old stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer, was caught smuggling gold at Bengaluru Airport last year. She was carrying 14.2 kg of gold, some of which she was wearing, and the rest was concealed in her clothes. The officials tracking her movement grew suspicious since it was her fourth Dubai trip in 15 days and confronted her, leading to the seizure. She was just a few feet away from the exit when the revenue officials caught her.

Subsequently, officials searched her home, where she lived with her husband, and found gold jewellery worth Rs. 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs. 2.67 crore.

The actor was reportedly part of a smuggling network and took hefty commissions to smuggle goods from Dubai to Bengaluru, with a commission of approximately Rs 4-5 lakh for smuggling a kilogram of gold. According to ED, the proceeds of the sale were generated in cash and settled through "hawala" channels in India and abroad.

The investigation revealed that an "organised" and "structured" mechanism had taken place.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had imposed a fine of Rs 102 crore on Rao in connection with the case.

She is currently lodged at the Bengaluru Central Prison.