Kannada actress Ranya Rao, 33, landed in three-day Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) custody on March 7, 2025, after a Bengaluru special court approved the move.
Caught Monday with 14.2 kg of gold worth Indian Rs14.56 crore at Kempegowda International Airport, the Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling case now probes national security ties and a wider syndicate, the DRI says.
Gold smuggling case: Could Kannada actor Ranya Rao have been operating on her own or could she be a part of wider network that could involve not just politicians but also police?
Former Karnataka ADGP Sanjay Sahay responds. #NewsToday | @SardesaiRajdeep pic.twitter.com/sIqpgTXnLQ
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) March 6, 2025Rao, stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer, tripped alarms with her fourth Dubai jaunt in 15 days. DRI officials nabbed her steps from the exit, finding gold bars some worn, some stashed in clothes. A home search with her architect husband, Jatin Hukkeri, uncovered Indian Rs2.06 crore in jewelry and Rs2.67 crore in cash. “She confessed to 17 bars and 27 Dubai trips last year,” officials noted, pegging her smuggling fee at Rs4-5 lakh per kilo.
Bengaluru, Karnataka: State Women's Commission President Nagalakshmi Choudhary on actress Ranya Rao gold smuggling case says, "Assaulting her should not be done. No one is supposed to take the law into their own hands. Moreover, she has not filed a complaint with the Women's… pic.twitter.com/lIemzhSG7m
— IANS (@ians_india) March 7, 2025“I’ve hit Europe, America, the Middle East exhausted now,” Rao told DRI, promising cooperation. Her dad, real estate mogul KS Hegdesh, ties her to Bengaluru’s elite. The court granted custody to crack the smuggling ring from March 9-11. The Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling saga—sparked by her frequent flyer status—escalates as investigators dig deeper.
Read: Kannada Actress Ranya Rao Arrested for Smuggling 14.8 kg Gold at Bengaluru Airport
The Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling bust, Indian Rs14.56 crore in gold, a star’s fall grips India.
Ranya Rao, Kannada star, gets 3-day DRI custody for smuggling 14 kg gold worth Rs14.56 crore—caught at Bengaluru airport.){kind=link}