<p>Bengaluru: Towering over six feet, well-built, African-American accent and wheatish complexion — this is how gold smuggling suspect Ranya Rao described the man who handed over gold to her in Dubai before she was caught in Bengaluru. </p><p>The 33-year-old actress revealed these details in her statement to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). </p><p>She was arrested upon her arrival in Bengaluru from Dubai on March 3 for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/actor-ranya-rao-admits-to-role-in-gold-smuggling-dri-gets-3-day-custody-3437641">carrying</a> 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore. </p>.<p><em>DH</em> has reviewed a copy of her statement. </p>.Ranya Rao case: ED joins probe, conducts raids in Karnataka.<p><strong>Dubai meeting</strong></p><p>According to Ranya, she met the man near the Espresso machine in the dining lounge at Gate ‘A’ of Dubai International Airport’s terminal 3. Before the meeting, he gave her instructions over an internet call, identifying the meeting point. The man said he would be wearing a white Kandura (a traditional Arab robe). </p><p>The exchange was brief. He gave her two packages wrapped in thick, tarpaulin-type material.</p><p>Ranya then went to the washroom near the dining lounge, opened one package and found 12 gold bars, packed in three sets of four. The other pack had five cut pieces of gold stacked together. </p><p>The actor claimed she never met the man before or after this exchange. </p><p><strong>YouTube tutorial</strong></p><p>As per Ranya’s statement, she watched YouTube videos on how to wrap and conceal gold on her body. Before entering the terminal, she purchased adhesive tape from a shop called Boots near the airport and a stationery shop about a km away. </p><p>Aware that scissors were prohibited inside the airport, she used them to cut the tape to different sizes beforehand. </p><p><strong>Meticulous effort</strong></p><p>Inside the washroom, Ranya wrapped the gold bars around her calves and waist using pre-cut adhesive tapes and tissues. </p><p>She also hid some gold bars under the soles of her shoes and the rest in the pockets of her denim trousers.</p><p>Ranya was previously informed on the call that the gold would be in the form of ingots, according to her statement. </p>.Ranya Rao gets VIP escort on DGP-stepfather’s instructions: Cop to DRI.<p><strong>Used husband’s credit card</strong></p><p>Ranya used a Mashreq credit card in her husband Jatin Vijayakumar Hukkeri’s name to book the onward and return flights on March 1 via the Emirates website. </p><p>The actor said she had received a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call on March 1 from an unknown foreign number, but missed it.</p><p>In the two weeks leading up to her arrest, she received multiple calls, one of which contained the instructions.</p><p>Ranya said she did not approach the police regarding the calls as she wanted to ‘keep her privacy intact’. </p>.<p><strong>'Bought gold only once'</strong></p><p>Ranya told the DRI that this was the first and the only instance when she travelled to Dubai and bought the gold.</p><p>However, as per the DRI's arrest memo, the investigators recovered from her residence Dubai Customs declarations dated November 13, 2024 and December 20, 2024, indicating that "in the recent past she had purchased gold from Dubai, declared to Dubai Customs that she is intending to travel to Geneva with the said gold but deviated and arrived in India as per her travel history".</p><p>DRI also found that Ranya had travelled to Dubai over 27 times in the past year.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Towering over six feet, well-built, African-American accent and wheatish complexion — this is how gold smuggling suspect Ranya Rao described the man who handed over gold to her in Dubai before she was caught in Bengaluru. </p><p>The 33-year-old actress revealed these details in her statement to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). </p><p>She was arrested upon her arrival in Bengaluru from Dubai on March 3 for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/actor-ranya-rao-admits-to-role-in-gold-smuggling-dri-gets-3-day-custody-3437641">carrying</a> 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore. </p>.<p><em>DH</em> has reviewed a copy of her statement. </p>.Ranya Rao case: ED joins probe, conducts raids in Karnataka.<p><strong>Dubai meeting</strong></p><p>According to Ranya, she met the man near the Espresso machine in the dining lounge at Gate ‘A’ of Dubai International Airport’s terminal 3. Before the meeting, he gave her instructions over an internet call, identifying the meeting point. The man said he would be wearing a white Kandura (a traditional Arab robe). </p><p>The exchange was brief. He gave her two packages wrapped in thick, tarpaulin-type material.</p><p>Ranya then went to the washroom near the dining lounge, opened one package and found 12 gold bars, packed in three sets of four. The other pack had five cut pieces of gold stacked together. </p><p>The actor claimed she never met the man before or after this exchange. </p><p><strong>YouTube tutorial</strong></p><p>As per Ranya’s statement, she watched YouTube videos on how to wrap and conceal gold on her body. Before entering the terminal, she purchased adhesive tape from a shop called Boots near the airport and a stationery shop about a km away. </p><p>Aware that scissors were prohibited inside the airport, she used them to cut the tape to different sizes beforehand. </p><p><strong>Meticulous effort</strong></p><p>Inside the washroom, Ranya wrapped the gold bars around her calves and waist using pre-cut adhesive tapes and tissues. </p><p>She also hid some gold bars under the soles of her shoes and the rest in the pockets of her denim trousers.</p><p>Ranya was previously informed on the call that the gold would be in the form of ingots, according to her statement. </p>.Ranya Rao gets VIP escort on DGP-stepfather’s instructions: Cop to DRI.<p><strong>Used husband’s credit card</strong></p><p>Ranya used a Mashreq credit card in her husband Jatin Vijayakumar Hukkeri’s name to book the onward and return flights on March 1 via the Emirates website. </p><p>The actor said she had received a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call on March 1 from an unknown foreign number, but missed it.</p><p>In the two weeks leading up to her arrest, she received multiple calls, one of which contained the instructions.</p><p>Ranya said she did not approach the police regarding the calls as she wanted to ‘keep her privacy intact’. </p>.<p><strong>'Bought gold only once'</strong></p><p>Ranya told the DRI that this was the first and the only instance when she travelled to Dubai and bought the gold.</p><p>However, as per the DRI's arrest memo, the investigators recovered from her residence Dubai Customs declarations dated November 13, 2024 and December 20, 2024, indicating that "in the recent past she had purchased gold from Dubai, declared to Dubai Customs that she is intending to travel to Geneva with the said gold but deviated and arrived in India as per her travel history".</p><p>DRI also found that Ranya had travelled to Dubai over 27 times in the past year.</p>