Kannada film actress Ranya Rao, daughter of Director General of Police (Police Housing Corporation) Ramachandra Rao, was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Monday night (March 3) for allegedly smuggling gold.
Ranya, known for her roles in films such as Manikya and Pataki, is the stepdaughter of DGP Rao. Authorities accused her of being in possession of 14.8 kg of gold.
On Tuesday evening, Ranya was produced before a special court judge for financial offences, who remanded her to 14-day judicial custody. Prior to this, she underwent a medical examination at Bowring Hospital.
According to media reports, Ranya stated that she was traveling to Dubai for business purposes. However, the Delhi DRI team had prior intelligence regarding her alleged involvement in smuggling activities. Acting on this information, DRI officers reached the airport two hours before her scheduled arrival on March 3.
Ranya arrived on an Emirates flight from Dubai and was detained by officials at Bengaluru Airport around 7 pm on Monday. Further investigations into the case are underway.
Who is Ranya Rao?
Originally hailing from Chikmagalur, Karnataka, Ranya pursued engineering at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru before venturing into the film industry. She made her acting debut in 2014 with the Kannada film Maanikya, directed by and starring Sudeep, where she played a wealthy young woman and the protagonist’s love interest.
Ranya expanded her career into Tamil cinema with the 2016 film Wagah, in which she starred opposite Vikram Prabhu. She returned to Kannada cinema in 2017 with Pataki, playing the role of a journalist alongside actor Ganesh.
