Kannada film actor Ranya Rao, was arrested in one of the largest gold seizures at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in recent years, after allegedly smuggling 14.8 kg of the contraband from Dubai attached to her body.
33-year-old Rao, the stepdaughter of a senior DGP-rank IPS officer in Karnataka, was arrested by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3, acting on a tip-off about her arrival at the airport.
How did Ranya Rao smuggle the gold?
While it had been suspected that Rao had smuggled gold bars in her jacket, the DRI confirmed that the contraband was found on her during a physical check.
“Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were found ingeniously concealed on (her) person,” the DRI stated.
Ranya Rao had allegedly strapped 14 old bars, approximately one kg each, to her thighs with tape and crepe bandages and had worn pants to conceal them, reported The Indian Express.
Rao also reportedly used VIP channels to exit the Bengaluru airport on her arrival on international flights, which helped her bypass the usually extensive checks done on regular passengers.
The Kannada film actress was remanded to judicial custody until March 18 by a special court for economic offences.
The DRI has filed a plea in the court seeking custody of the actress for three days from March 9 to interrogate Rao about the purpose behind her multiple visits to Dubai. Rao visited Dubai for short 5-10 day intervals over 27 times in the last six months.
