Ranya Rao
Credit: Special Arrangement
Kannada actor Ranya Rao may face up to Rs 102 crore in penalties for smuggling gold into the country, top sources have said.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday issued show cause notices to Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao and her three accomplices: Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, Sahil Sakariya Jain and his uncle Bharath Kumar Jain.
The four are lodged at the Parappana Agrahara central prison in Bengaluru.
“The show cause notice has been issued proposing the confiscation of 14.2 kg plus 103 kg gold, smuggled earlier by the accused,” a top DRI source told DH.
“Penalty under the Customs Act has been proposed for all four who are part of the smuggling syndicate”.
According to the source, the maximum penalty Ranya may face is Rs 102 crore. For Raju, the maximum penalty would be Rs 62 crore; for Sahil and Bharath, who helped dispose of the gold and initiated hawala transactions, the maximum penalty would be Rs 53 crore each.
“The penalties are yet to be adjudicated. The show cause notice is answerable to the additional commissioner or joint commissioner, airport customs,” the source said.
The criminal proceedings will continue separately, the source said. The accused will remain in jail for atleast a year due to the invoking of the provisions of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA Act) on them.
Ranya, 33, was arrested on March 3, 2025, after she flew into Bengaluru from Dubai. According to the DRI, she was found carrying 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore on her person.
Raju, 36, a US citizen, was arrested by the DRI six days after Ranya was caught red-handed. Raju, as per the DRI, maintained close ties with the actor and was her associate in the smuggling.
Sahil, 27, the third suspect and a jeweller from Ballari, who allegedly helped Ranya dispose of the gold, shared the proceeds from the sale and helped in hawala transactions, was arrested on March 26. Bharath, 52, a jeweller and an alleged hawala dealer, was arrested in July.