Sat Mar 08 17:27:44 UTC 2025: ## CBI Probes International Gold Smuggling Racket After Kannada Actor’s Arrest
**New Delhi, March 8, 2025** – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a probe into an international gold smuggling ring following the arrest of Kannada actress Ranya Rao by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Rao was apprehended at Bengaluru airport on March 3 with allegedly 14.8 kg of smuggled gold upon her return from Dubai.
The CBI’s investigation is based on information provided by the DRI. While details of the FIR, including the names of those charged, remain undisclosed, the agency is reportedly exploring the potential involvement of public servants. CBI teams have been deployed to Mumbai and Bengaluru airports to pursue leads.
This is not the first collaboration between the CBI and DRI on gold smuggling cases. Previous joint investigations include a 2021 case involving the alleged smuggling of 17.73 kg of gold at Delhi airport, and the “Karipur gold smuggling” case, which resulted in a chargesheet against 30 individuals in 2023. A similar case in 2019 involved the seizure of approximately 25 kg of gold smuggled from Dubai via Thiruvananthapuram. The agencies have a history of working together to uncover and prosecute those involved in large-scale gold smuggling operations.
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