Media365
Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case: The Kannada actress, who is a stepdaughter of DGP Ramachandra Rao, had applied for bail. However, on Friday, March 14, the Special Court for Economic Offences denied her bail, saying the charges against her were serious. The court presided over by Judge Vishwanath C Gowdar, agreed that the actress should stay in judicial custody.
The actress was arrested at Bengaluru’s airport last week smuggling 14.2 kg gold worth ₹12.56 crore in India from Dubai. During a recent questioning session with DRI, the actress admitted to smuggling the gold and said it was her first time and would never do illegal work ever again. She told the officials in detail how she received a call from an unknown number and asked her to smuggle gold from Dubai. She further revealed the trick she learned from YouTube to hide gold at the airport.
During the grilling session, DRI questioned Ranya about her frequent foreign travels, to which the actress replied that she travelled for photography and real estate business. “I have visited Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East multiple times,” she said in her statement. When asked about her recent Dubai visit, Ranya said, “I received a call from a foreign phone number on March 1. I was instructed to go to Gate A at Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport. I was told to collect the gold at Dubai Airport and deliver it in Bengaluru. This was the first time I smuggled gold from Dubai to Bengaluru. I have never brought or purchased gold from Dubai before.”
When DRI asked the actress about the identity of the person, she shared that she is not entirely sure who called her, but revealed that the caller had an African-American accent.
When asked how she smuggled the gold, to this, she shared in detail that the person handed her gold bars in two plastic-covered packets. So she went to the restroom, attached the gold bars to her body and hid the some in jeans and shoes. She even bought crepe bandages and scissors at the airport. The actress told the officials, she learned this trick from YouTube.
Towards the end of the questioning, Ranya pleaded to be forgiven with a last chance. “Please let me go. Forgive me this one time and release me,” she said.
Meanwhile, based on data gathered from Ranya’s phone and laptop DRI tracked the syndicate members.
