Gold smuggling case: Ranya Rao to meet her advocate every day; actor admits to possession of 17 gold | 10 updates

Here are the top ten updates:

1. The Economic Offences Court in Bengaluru has granted the actress permission to meet her advocate for half an hour each day during her 3-day DRI custody. The court, presided over by Justice Vishwanath C Gowdar, also directed the DRI to provide essential items such as food and a bed during her custody and warned against any harsh treatment during the investigation, as reported by ANI.

Also Read: Actress Ranya Rao claims she was trapped; reveals she travelled to Europe, America, Middle East – What she told DRI

2. The actress was also spotted leaving the court in a black SUV. Ranya, known for her roles in Kannada films like Maanikya and Pataki, was detained earlier this week by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after returning from Dubai on March 3 in connection with an alleged gold smuggling case, ANI reported.

3. Kannada actress Ranya Rao has confessed to the recovery of 17 gold bars from her possession, sources in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence told PTI. Rao is currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, as reported by PTI.

4. During her questioning, Rao claimed that her trip to Dubai was for business purposes. However, authorities suspect that her visit was linked to the illegal importation of gold. Meanwhile, soon after the Kannada actress was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport, an image of her with swollen eyes and bruises began circulating on social media, leading to speculation that the actress might have been allegedly assaulted during or after her arrest at the airport.

Also Read: Actor Ranya Rao’s stepfather DGP K Ramachandra Rao was involved in ‘ ₹2.07 crore hawala case’ before?

5. The Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, Nagalakshmi Chaudhary, responded to the viral image while speaking to ANI on Firday and stated that the commission cannot conduct an investigation unless a formal complaint is filed. “Actually, someone has to file a complaint with us. The Women’s Commission is not an authority to conduct an investigation,” she said.

6. Condemning any act of violence against Ranya, Chaudhary stated, “Whoever has committed the assault should not have done so. That’s for sure. No one should take the law into their hands. We must allow the investigation, and the law will take its own course. No one has the right to assault anybody, whether it’s a woman or anyone else, but I’m totally against that.”

Also Read: Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: Kannada actress’ bail plea hearing today — What we know so far

7. Chaudhary also added that if Ranya files a complaint, the commission would act accordingly. “Unless she writes to the commissioner or sends a letter to me asking us to look into the matter, we will write to the concerned authorities to help her, support her, conduct a proper investigation, and submit a report. That’s all the commission can do. Since she has not asked or filed a complaint, I can’t comment further,” she said. 

8. According to DRI officials, gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore were seized from the 34-year-old actress at the airport. Further searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery valued at ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore.

9. The total seizure in the case amounted to ₹17.29 crore, including assets worth ₹4.73 crore, delivering a significant blow to organized gold smuggling networks.

10. Officials stated that the 14.2 kg haul is one of the largest gold seizures at Bengaluru airport in recent times. Investigators revealed that 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.

(With inputs from agencies)