Actor Ranya Rao & 3 Others Fined Rs. 102 Crore in Gold Smuggling Case

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-09-02 15:20:56 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-02 20:41:05

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Kannada actor Ranya Rao likely didn't expect her arrest late last year for her involvement in India's gold smuggling to result in a whopping Rs 102 crore (approximately $13 million) penalty. But that's exactly what happened on January 30th, according to officials with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The hefty fines were handed out to Rao and three others, and delivered at the Bengaluru Central Jail, where all four accused are currently lodged.

Rao was arrested last November for her role in a conspiracy to smuggle gold worth Rs. 82 crore (approximately $10 million) from Dubai to Bengaluru via Kuala Lumpur. The actor, along with Mohammad Fareed, Hassan Ali Khan, and Mohammed Abdul Karim Naveed, had been part of a gold smuggling syndicate operating out of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

The initial arrest and subsequent investigation revealed the four accused had conspired to smuggle the gold through airport warehouses. Officials said the gold was concealed in check-in baggage, secretly partitioned with a layer of X-ray opaque material, and labelled as hollow doors or marble slabs.

On Tuesday, the DRI issued the penalties after gathering evidence against all four individuals, and after a judicial trial, according to senior DRI official SV Satyanarayana.

"The accused, including Rao, had not disclosed their relationship with each other and connived with each other to evade duty on the gold that was imported," Satyanarayana said in a statement.

All four accused have filed appeals in the Customs Appeal Court. If the court does rule in the Directorate's favor, it's likely none of the accused will be able to pay the massive fines. Late last year, Rao's brother, Aditya, told Indian Express his sister "doesn't even have a PAN card," let alone the resources to pay such a high penalty.

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