Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against organised crime syndicate involved in smuggling gold into India and conducted multiple at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and Kempegowda International Airport, Benegaluru on Saturday.
The federal crime investigation agency took over the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) case of international gold trafficking syndicate in which Kannada actor daughter arrested with 14 kg smuggled gold at Kempegowda airport on Tuesday.
Actor Ranya Rao, daughter of Karnataka DGP Ramchandra Rao had landed at Bengaluru Kempegawda airport on Emirates flight from Dubai with 14 kg gold bar concealed in a belt strapped on her body along with 800gms of gold jewellery.
The CBI will probe misuse of airport protocol services and certain privileges meant for high-ranking officials exploited by the criminal syndicate to facilitate gold smuggling
The DRI suspects she is part of an international gold smuggling syndicate travelling 4-5 times every month abroad and smuggling contraband evading customs levies on arrival using police protocols to avoid examination of her baggage and frisking.
Ranya, the stepdaughter of DGP K Ramachandra Rao currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, confessed to travel to Europe, America, and the Middle East, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia in last 6 months.
According to DRI investigation, Ranya (identified in her passport as Harshavardini Ranya) had travelled to Dubai 27 times in the last six months, raising concerns about the purpose of these frequent visits.
The DRI sleuths seized gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore from the 34-year-old actress at the airport and subsequent searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
The 32-year-old actress has acted in a few Kannada movies including the Sudeep-starrer Maanikya and Ganesh-starrer Pataki and Tamil movie Wagah starring Vikram Prabhu. Ranya married to Jatin Hukkeri in a high-profile marriage around four months ago at Taj West End, after which they settled into a high-end apartment in Bengaluru’s upscale Lavelle Road.
