Kannada actress Ranya Rao has been slapped with a hefty fine of ₹102.55 crore by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with a gold smuggling case. The DRI imposed the penalty after investigations revealed her involvement in the illegal smuggling of gold into India.
Ranya Rao was apprehended on March 3rd at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, upon her arrival from Dubai. DRI officials confiscated 14.8 kg of gold from her possession. Further probe into the matter revealed that she had made multiple trips to Dubai, around 4 times in 15 days, specifically for smuggling gold. Investigations also revealed that Ranya Rao made frequent trips to Dubai, up to 52 trips between 2023 and early 2025 and allegedly used police escorts to avoid customs screenings.
In addition to Ranya Rao, the DRI has also imposed penalties on three other individuals implicated in the smuggling operation. Hotelier Tarun Kondaraju was fined ₹63 crore, while jewelers Sahil Sakaria Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain each received penalties of ₹56 crore. Overall penalties in the case exceed ₹270 crore.
The DRI served the penalty notice, comprising 2,500 pages of documents, to Ranya Rao and the other accused in Bengaluru Central Jail. The accused have been warned that failure to pay the fine could result in the attachment of their properties. The next hearing is reportedly scheduled for September 11.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated that gold was procured from suppliers based in Dubai, Uganda, and other jurisdictions, and payments were made through hawala channels in cash, thereby circumventing legal financial systems. False customs declarations were filed in Dubai, fraudulently declaring the destination of gold shipments as Switzerland or the USA, while the actual travel of the gold smugglers was to India. Dual sets of travel documents were used-- one for the declared export destination and the other for their actual arrival in India, to evade scrutiny and facilitate smuggling through Indian airports.
Evidence retrieved from the seized mobile phones and forensic extraction of digital devices has revealed detailed coordination with foreign gold suppliers, hawala operators, and Dubai-based customs agents. Ranya Rao's involvement in generating, possessing, and circulating proceeds of crime was further corroborated by her digital footprint, which includes invoices, export declarations, foreign remittance records, and recorded chats establishing her active role in the smuggling syndicate.
Ranya Rao alleged severe maltreatment in DRI custody, claiming she was slapped multiple times (10–15 times), denied food and sleep, and coerced into signing voluminous documents, including blank pages.
Following Ranya Rao's arrest, her husband Jatin Hukkeri came on the radar. Hukkeri sought legal relief by applying for exemption from arrest, citing that they had separated about a month after their marriage, around December 2024 -- highlighting that they were living apart at the time the case unfolded.
The Ranya Rao case gained prominence due to her being the step-daughter of senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao. Following the surfacing of the smuggling case, K Ramachandra Rao was sent on leave, which was later revoked. A police officer at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport revealed that Ranya Rao was granted VIP protocol on multiple occasions at the behest of her stepfather, senior IPS officer DGP K Ramachandra Rao.
