Bengaluru:
Actor Ranya Rao, stepdaughter of senior Indian Police Service officer Ramachandra Rao, broke down on the court premises after being remanded into the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) until March 10 in connection with a gold smuggling case.
The 33-year-old actress was allegedly caught smuggling gold bars weighing 14.2 kg, valued at approximately Rs 14.5 crore, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Monday night. The DRI sought her custodial interrogation to investigate the source of the gold and its intended destination.
A special court for economic offenses in Bengaluru granted the DRI custody of Ms. Rao until 4 pm on March 10. The court instructed the Kannada actor to cooperate with the investigation and allowed her to meet her advocate for half an hour daily. It also directed the DRI not to intimidate her and to provide all basic facilities as per Supreme Court guidelines.
After the hearing, Ms. Rao broke down in tears in the courtroom.
Ms. Rao came under the DRI’s radar after making her fourth trip to Dubai in 15 days. Upon her arrest, she admitted to carrying 17 gold bars and disclosed that she had previously traveled to Europe, America, the Middle East, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. Sources revealed that she had made 27 trips to Dubai over the past year.
The actress, who made her debut in the 2014 film ‘Maanikya’ starring Kichcha Sudeep, had reportedly offered to cooperate with the investigators.
Ms. Rao was allegedly part of a smuggling network and received hefty commissions—Rs 4-5 lakh per kg—for bringing gold from Dubai to Bengaluru.
The seizure of 14.2 kg of gold is one of the largest at Bengaluru airport in recent times. Subsequent searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewelry worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in Indian currency.
Ms. Rao informed investigators that her father, KS Hegdesh, is a real estate businessman, and her husband, Jatin Hukkeri, is an architect living with her in Bengaluru.
Ramachandra Rao, the Director-General of Police of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, is her stepfather. Mr. Rao has denied any involvement in the alleged smuggling and expressed being "devastated" by the news of his stepdaughter’s arrest.
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