Bengaluru: Gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Kempegowda International Airport, following which searches were conducted at her residence and gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore were also recovered, DRI said on Wednesday.
Rao is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, a senior police official told news agency.
The DGP-rank officer is currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, he added.
The total seizure in the case stood at Rs 17.29 crore, including assets worth Rs 4.73 crore, marking a significant blow to organised gold smuggling networks.
According to DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) officials, the 14.2 kg haul is one of the largest gold seizures at Bengaluru airport in recent times.
In a statement, the Ministry of Finance said the DRI successfully intercepted a passenger carrying foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.
“Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted an Indian woman, aged around 33, who had arrived from Dubai to Bengaluru on an Emirates flight on March 3. Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were found ingeniously concealed on her person,” the statement read.
The DRI operates under the Ministry of Finance.
According to the Ministry, the contraband, valued at Rs 12.56 crore, was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. “Following the interception, DRI officers searched her residence on Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, where she lives with her husband. The search led to the seizure of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore,” the statement added.
The Ministry further stated that the woman had been arrested under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and remanded to judicial custody. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that he cannot comment on the case of gold smuggling by the Kannada actress until the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence completes the investigation.
“The investigation is ongoing. The DRI is handling the case, and until they provide definite information, I cannot comment. Let them complete their inquiry first. Internally, I have asked our department to look into it, and they will gather some information,” he told reporters. Distancing himself from the actress, her stepfather, Rao, told reporters here that the law would take its course.
According to him, Ranya got married just four months ago and has not visited them since. Stating that he was unaware of Ranya and her husband’s business dealings, he said the news came as a “huge shock and disappointment.”