The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, or DRI, caught Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. She was carrying “14.8 kg of gold concealed in her clothing”, and they arrested her for it. The news about her arrest came out officially on Tuesday, letting everyone know what happened.

Ranya Rao, who is 33 years old, is the daughter of Ramachandra Rao. He works as Karnataka’s Director General of Police, or DGP, for the Police Housing Corporation. It’s a big job, and now his daughter is in the spotlight for this incident.

After the DRI nabbed her, they didn’t waste time. They took Ranya to their headquarters in HBR Layout, Bengaluru, to ask her questions and figure out what was going on. Later, she had to face an economic offenses court. The court decided she should stay in judicial custody for 14 days, meaning she’s locked up while they sort things out. It’s a tough spot for someone like her, with all the attention this case is getting.

Investigation by DRI

The DRI team dug into the case and found out how she pulled it off. They learned that “she had allegedly smuggled the gold by wearing a significant portion of it on her person and concealing gold bars in her clothes and accessories”. That’s how she tried to sneak it through.

What raised red flags for the authorities was her travel. She had gone to Dubai four times in just 15 days, which seemed odd. Reports also say she made 10 trips since the start of the year, making them wonder what she was up to all those times.

Here’s how it went down: Ranya landed in Bengaluru on an Emirates flight from Dubai on Monday night. The DRI had been keeping an eye on her because “she was under surveillance for her frequent trips abroad”. That’s when they decided to act. They stopped her at Kempegowda International Airport and found hidden gold bars in her belt, leading to her arrest. It was a big catch for them.

The DRI put together a four-member team to look deeper. They checked CCTV footage from the airport and saw something interesting—she wore similar clothes every time, with the belt hidden. Now, they’re working hard to find out if “she is part of a larger gold smuggling ring operating between Dubai and India” and whether she brought in gold on her earlier trips too. It’s a serious investigation, and they’re determined to get to the bottom of it.

Evasion Tactics

The early investigation by the DRI shows that Ranya Rao might have used some smart tricks to get past customs checks. They think she leaned on her connections, telling people she was the DGP’s daughter. By doing that, she could use special services meant for big government officials, which helped her avoid trouble.

This trick worked well for her. “A protocol officer would meet her at the terminal and escort her out of the airport”, so no one would search her bags or clothes. Plus, “she would also be picked up by a government vehicle”, making sure she got home without any problems. It was a smooth way to dodge the usual checks everyone else has to go through.

Now, the officials are digging deeper. They want to know if any law enforcement people knew what she was doing or if they helped her without realizing it. It’s a big question they’re trying to answer as they look into her case.

Who is Ranya Rao

Ranya Rao isn’t just anyone—she’s the stepdaughter of K Ramachandra Rao, who’s the Director General of Police for Karnataka State Police Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, according to media reports. That’s a pretty high-up connection.

She comes from Chikkamagaluru and has made a name for herself acting in movies. You might have seen her in “Maanikya (2014), Wagah (2016) and Pataki (2017)”. Her dad, the DGP, spoke to The Times of India and said she got married four months ago to an architect named Jatin Hukkeri. Since the wedding, she hasn’t come back to her mom’s house. He made it clear that “they had no idea of her or her husband’s business dealings”, trying to keep his family out of this mess.

He didn’t hold back his feelings either, saying, “This has come as a huge shock and disappointment. She has let us down. If there is any violation, the law will take its course.” It’s tough for him to see his daughter caught up in something like this.

Ranya kicked off her acting career in 2014 with the Kannada movie Maanikya, directed by Sudeep. She played Manasa, a rich girl who falls for Sudeep’s character. People had mixed thoughts about how she did in that role. She got the part after her mom and some friends showed her photos to the casting team. Sudeep liked what he saw, called her for a test, and she spoke a few lines. Later, she told The Times of India that after the film ran for 100 days, she remembered how Sudeep tricked her at first, saying she didn’t get the role. But she wasn’t fooled—she guessed she made it, and he was impressed enough to give her the spot.

In 2015, she jumped into Tamil films with Wagah, acting alongside Vikram Prabhu. That was her first time as the main actress. Then, in 2017, she starred in the Kannada comedy Pataki as Sangeetha, a journalist who catches the eye of Ganesh’s police officer character. She’s built a career step by step, but now this gold smuggling case has put her in a whole different kind of spotlight.