Kannada film actress Ranya Rao
Credit: X/@RanyaRao
Bengaluru: Kannada film actress Ranya Rao was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport here on the charge of smuggling gold illegally from Dubai.
The actress flew into Bengaluru on Monday night via an Emirates flight. An inspection by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials revealed that she had carried 14.80 kg of gold. She was later taken to the DRI office in HBR Layout and formally arrested.
Ranya reportedly claimed during the initial investigation that she is the daughter of Director General of Police K Ramachandra Rao, according to sources.
DRI officials had received information that Ranya was "actively involved" in a gold smuggling network operating from Dubai. Her frequent travels to Dubai had already drawn the attention of the authorities.
In the past 15 days, she had travelled to Dubai four times. On Monday night, officials were waiting for her at Bengaluru airport, and as soon as she landed, they detained her and conducted an inspection, which confirmed their suspicions, sources added.
Rao played the lead role in the 2014 Kannada film Maanikya alongside Kiccha Sudeep.