New Delhi: The arrest of Kannada actress Ranya Rao has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and beyond, unveiling a complex gold smuggling operation with international ties. Caught on March 3, 2025, at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Rao was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) with 14.2 kilograms of gold strapped to her body, valued at approximately Rs 12.56 crores. What began as a routine customs check has escalated into a multi-agency investigation involving the DRI, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), raising questions about a possible smuggling syndicate operating from Dubai.
The arrest: Gold strapped to Rao’s body
Ranya Rao, stepdaughter of Karnataka DGP (Police Housing Corporation) Ramachandra Rao, arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight (EK 566) at 6:30 pm on March 3. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials detained her as she attempted to exit through the green channel, claiming she had nothing to declare. A metal detector flagged anomalies, leading to a physical search that revealed 14 gold bars—24-karat purity, weighing 14,213.050 grams—concealed on her person. According to the DRI’s arrest memo, Rao had ingeniously strapped the gold to her waist, thighs, and calf muscles using crepe bandages and tissues, with additional pieces hidden in her shoes and front pockets. The duty evasion linked to this haul is estimated at Rs 4.83 crores.
Rao’s statement to DRI: The Afghan-American connection
During her interrogation, Rao provided a detailed statement to the DRI, shedding light on how she became embroiled in the smuggling plot. She claimed it was her first attempt at smuggling gold from Dubai to Bengaluru, contradicting earlier indications of frequent smuggling trips. According to Rao, on March 1, she received a call from an unknown foreign number—one of several she had been receiving over the prior two weeks—instructing her to collect gold at Dubai Airport’s Terminal 3, Gate A.
Rao described meeting an unidentified man, approximately 6 feet tall and fair-skinned, who handed her the gold bars post-security check before disappearing. She identified him as an “Afghan-American” in her statement, though she provided no further details about his identity, claiming she never saw him again. She was instructed to deliver the gold to an unknown person in Bengaluru near a service road after the airport toll gate, where she was to place it in an autorickshaw—details of which were not provided to her. Rao admitted to using her husband Jatin Vijaykumar Hukkeri’s credit card to book her flight and said she learned concealment techniques from YouTube videos. Despite her pleas for release, the DRI pressed forward, citing her failure to identify syndicate members as a reason to deepen the probe.
A pattern of suspicious travel
Investigations revealed Rao’s extensive travel history, with reports suggesting she made 30 trips to Dubai over the past year, including four in the 15 days prior to her arrest. The DRI memo noted prior purchases of gold in Dubai on November 13 and December 20, 2024, where Rao declared Geneva and Switzerland, as her destination to Dubai customs, only to land in India instead. Her frequent short-duration trips, often cloaked as business ventures, had placed her under surveillance, culminating in the March 3 bust. Authorities suspect she may have smuggled gold on multiple occasions, potentially earning Rs 1-4 lakh per kilogram per trip.
ED joins probe: Raids and seizures
The Enforcement Directorate entered the fray on March 13, 2025, conducting raids in Bengaluru. Following Rao’s arrest, DRI searches at her upscale Lavelle Road residence uncovered additional evidence: gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crores and Rs 2.67 crores in cash, bringing the total seizure to Rs 17.29 crores—one of the largest gold recoveries from an air passenger in recent times. The ED’s involvement signals a broader investigation into potential money laundering and illicit financial dealings linked to the smuggling racket. Authorities are scrutinising Rao’s bank records, communication logs, and financial transactions over the past two years, with a focus on possible hawala networks and Dubai-based operatives.
A syndicate at play?
The DRI has labelled Rao a potential cog in a larger smuggling syndicate, possibly coordinated from Dubai. This suspicion intensified after the arrest of two foreign nationals from Oman and the UAE at Mumbai Airport on March 6, carrying 21.28 kg of gold worth Rs 18.92 crores. The CBI, prompted by a complaint from DRI Additional Director Abhishek Chandra Gupta, registered an FIR on March 7 to probe the nexus, including the role of government officials and unknown public servants. The DRI highlighted Rao’s alleged misuse of police protocol services at KIA, where a constable, Basavaraju, escorted her through immigration—a privilege linked to her stepfather’s position—raising questions about complicity within law enforcement.
Claims of innocence and mental trauma
Rao has oscillated between confession and denial. While her initial statement to the DRI admitted to carrying 17 gold bars (later clarified as 14), she later claimed innocence, alleging she was “trapped” by someone close to her.
During a court appearance on March 7, she broke down, telling her lawyers, “I keep thinking why I got into it… I cannot sleep… I am having mental trauma.”
A special court for economic offenses granted the DRI three days’ custody until March 10, citing the need to confront her with forensic evidence from her seized phone and laptop. She was subsequently remanded to judicial custody until March 24 at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
The bigger picture
The investigation has taken a political turn, with Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara ordering a probe into protocol misuse at KIA, while opposition leaders allege a cover-up. Rao’s husband, Jatin Vijaykumar Hukkeri, a UK-based IT professional, and her friend Tarun K. Raju, a businessman arrested on March 9, are also under scrutiny for their roles. The case bears similarities to a 2024 Chennai incident involving a blackmailed carrier, fuelling speculation that Rao may have been coerced—though her wealth and connections complicate this narrative.
As the DRI, CBI, and ED dig deeper, the investigation promises to unravel a web of intrigue, from Dubai’s gold markets to Bengaluru’s elite circles. Was she a mastermind, a pawn, or both? The answers may redefine this smuggling saga.