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Kannada actress Ranya Rao has been sent to a three-day Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) custody for allegedly smuggling 14 kg of gold worth Rs 14.56 crore at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
Ranya Rao, the 33-year-old stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer, was caught smuggling gold on Monday. She was carrying 14.2 kg of gold, some of which she was wearing, and the rest was concealed in her clothes.
The officials grew suspicious of Rao’s frequent international trips, including 27 trips to Dubai last year. Upon confrontation, she admitted to smuggling gold and revealed details of her international trips.
A search of Rao’s home yielded gold jewelry worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore. She reportedly took hefty commissions to smuggle goods from Dubai to Bengaluru.
Rao has agreed to cooperate with investigators and has provided information about her family, including her father, KS Hegdesh, a real estate businessman, and her husband, Jatin Hukkeri, an architect.
The DRI is investigating Rao’s involvement in a gold smuggling network and her possible connections with law enforcement personnel.