Kannada Actress Ranya Rao Arrested at Bengaluru Airport for Alleged Gold Smuggling

Kannada star Ranya Rao was caught at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday night after 14.8 kilograms of gold were found hidden in her purse. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested the 31-year-old actor when she got back from Dubai, acting on suspicions raised by her frequent international travel

She is well-known for her parts in the movies “Maanikya” (2014), “Wagah” (2016), and “Pataki” (2017). To be exact, she is from Chikmagalur. She went to Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru to study engineering. But she changed her mind and now works in movies.

DRI officials stopped Ranya Rao when she arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight. They had been keeping an eye on her because she traveled abroad so often. It was found that she had hidden the gold by wearing a lot of it and putting gold bars in her clothes, according to the investigations. The police became very suspicious when they saw that she had been to Dubai four times in fifteen days.

They did what they had planned when she got back. Ranya Rao was caught and placed under the care of an economic crimes court. She was given 14 days to stay in jail. The DRI is looking into whether she did this on her own or as part of a bigger network that moves goods illegally between Dubai and India.

According to reports, Ranya Rao is married to K. Ramachandra Rao, who works as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in Karnataka and is a Director General of Police (DGP). Upon landing, she allegedly claimed to be the daughter of the DGP and contacted local police personnel to escort her home. Authorities are now probing whether any law enforcement officers, including her IPS relative, were aware of her activities or were misled into assisting her.

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Movie fans who like Kannada films were shocked when Ranya Rao was arrested. Hollywood stars have seen her in movies like “Maanikya,” “Wagah,” and “Pataki.” As the investigation goes on, both fans and coworkers are waiting for more details to come out.

As the case goes on, more details will likely be revealed about Ranya Rao’s alleged part in the theft of gold and how it might have affected other people involved.

A Bengaluru court granted default bail to Kannada actress Ranya Rao on May 20, 2025. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) missed the legal deadline to file a chargesheet in her gold smuggling case. So, this decision followed that delay. Even with bail, Rao stays in judicial custody. This is because of a preventive detention order from the COFEPOSA Act. Her mother, HP Rohini, has challenged the detention. She filed a habeas corpus petition in the Karnataka High Court. Rohini argues that the preventive detention is not legally valid. She seeks relief from the court.