Sat Mar 08 06:27:13 UTC 2025: **Kannada Actress Arrested, ₹17 Crore in Gold Seized in Bengaluru Airport Smuggling Case**
Bengaluru, March 8, 2025 – Kannada actress Ranya Rao has been arrested and is facing charges of gold smuggling after authorities seized ₹17.29 crore worth of gold and assets from her. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Rao on March 3rd at Bengaluru airport, where they confiscated 14.2 kg of gold, one of the largest seizures at the airport recently.
Further searches of Rao’s residence yielded an additional ₹2.06 crore worth of gold jewellery and ₹2.67 crore in Indian currency. The actress confessed to possessing a further 17 gold bars. Rao, who uses the passport name Harshavardini Ranya, admitted to making 27 trips to Dubai in the last six months. She also revealed travel to Europe, America, and the Middle East.
Rao, the stepdaughter of K. Ramachandra Rao, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., described herself as a film actress and wildlife photographer. She stated that she is the daughter of a real estate businessman and lives in Bengaluru with her architect husband, Jatin Hukkeri.
A special court granted the DRI three days’ custody of the actress. Authorities believe the seizure represents a significant blow to organized gold smuggling networks.
First Piper 