Officials reported on Tuesday that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence detained Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Bengaluru International Airport, where she was discovered with 14.8 kg of gold.
After her arrest on Monday night, she was brought before a court handling economic offenses, which placed her in judicial custody for 14 days, they stated.
Officials stated that Rao had landed from Dubai on an Emirates flight and was being monitored because of her regular international trips.
Investigators disclosed that she supposedly transported the gold by donning a large amount of it and hiding gold bars within her attire.
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Officials became wary upon realizing she had made four trips to Dubai within 15 days, leading to a focused operation when she came back.
Initial inquiries indicate that the actress might have tried to leverage her contacts to evade customs inspections.
Reports suggest that after landing, she purportedly stated she was the daughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police and requested local police officers to take her home.
Authorities are currently investigating if any law enforcement personnel, including her IPS family member, knew about her actions or were deceived into supporting her. Following her arrest, Rao was brought to the DRI headquarters located in HBR Layout, Bengaluru, for interrogation.
Officials are examining if she was working independently or was involved in a broader smuggling operation between Dubai and India.
