DRI slaps Rs 102-crore penalty on Kannada actress Ranya Rao for gold smuggling activities

The investigations of the gold smuggling case involving the actress, who is the stepdaughter of a senior Karnataka police officer, revealed that she had gone 31 times to Dubai since 2024 and smuggled nearly 127 kg of gold valued at over Rs 100 crore, DRI sources said.

The arrest of Ranya Rao also led to the arrest of her Telugu actor friend Tarun Konduru alias Virat Konduru, 36, and two hawala dealers-cum-jewellers—Sahil Jain, 27, and his uncle Bharat Jain, 45. The DRI also issued notices in the Bengaluru prison for penalties amounting to Rs 56 crore on Konduru and Rs 56 crore each on Sahil Jain and Bharat Jain.

DRI sources said the penalties imposed on Ranya Rao and her associates were for the gold smuggling activities and as prescribed by the Customs Act. The penalty amount is equivalent to the value of the gold found to have been smuggled by the accused in the course of investigations, DRI sources said.

The actress was intercepted when she arrived at Bengaluru airport with a consignment of 14.2 kg of gold valued at Rs 12.56 crore, which she did not declare to customs authorities. (File Photo)

The penalty notice issued ahead of the prosecution of the smuggling case involves a provisional attachment of properties as per the Customs Act, a DRI official said. DRI officials served each of the accused notices running into 250-300 pages along with details of supporting evidence running into 2,500 pages, they added.

On April 22, the Government of India issued orders for the detention of Ranya Rao, Konduru, and Sahil Jain for a year under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (Cofeposa) Act 1974. The order was issued by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Finance at the DRI’s request to prevent their involvement in gold smuggling activities.

Ranya Rao and associates smuggled over 100 kg of gold: DRI

The DRI submitted in the Karnataka High Court earlier this year that the trio were part of a gold smuggling syndicate that had smuggled over 100 kg of gold into India since 2024, apart from the 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore seized on March 3, when Ranya Rao was intercepted.

Writ petitions filed by family members of Ranya Rao and her associates for their release from the Cofeposa detention are pending in the high court.

Two weeks ago, the DRI questioned Ranya Rao’s stepfather K Ramachandra Rao, an IPS officer of the rank of director-general of police, regarding the gold smuggling racket in which the actress was arrested. He was questioned regarding his stepdaughter’s use of an official state car when she returned from Dubai following the alleged smuggling trips. The car had been provided to him.

Rao, who was sent on compulsory leave in March by the Karnataka Government following his stepdaughter’s arrest, was reinstated on August 11 and appointed as director-general of police at the Directorate for Civil Rights Enforcement.