Nation

IIE DIGITAL DESK : Kannada actor Ranya Rao’s arrest in March has ballooned into a high-profile gold-smuggling investigation that, investigators say, exposes a wider network of couriers, jewellers and hawala channels. Rao was intercepted at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 while carrying 14.2 kilograms of undeclared gold concealed in a specially modified jacket; the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has now imposed a combined penalty of ₹102 crore — a figure that includes the market value of the seized bullion and alleged customs duties evaded. 

Probes by the DRI and other agencies quickly widened after initial questioning and forensic checks. Officials report that Rao made unusually frequent trips to Dubai — roughly 30 visits in the past year, sometimes four trips within a 15-day window — behaviour that triggered surveillance and ultimately the interception. Investigators allege she was paid around ₹1 lakh for every kilogram she smuggled, suggesting that individual trips could have yielded lakhs and that the cumulative takings over repeated sorties may run into crores. 

The operational methods exposed in the case point to a degree of sophistication. Rao is accused of using custom-lined jackets and waist belts to hide gold bars, and at the time of arrest was reportedly wearing such a bullion-lined garment. Authorities say her travel pattern, concealment techniques and links to city jewellers indicate this was not a one-off act of concealment but part of a repeatable courier model supplying gold into local markets. 

The investigation has also identified accomplices who allegedly handled the sale and money flows. Along with Rao, businessman Tarun Kondaraju and jewellers Sahil Sakharia Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain have been arrested; the jewellers are accused of facilitating the sale of the bullion and routing proceeds through hawala networks, according to officials. There are also allegations that Rao leveraged familial ties — she reportedly told officials she was the stepdaughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police Ramachandra Rao — and that earlier runs may have benefited from lax scrutiny or possible influence at airport checkpoints.  

The DRI emphasizes that the monetary penalty is distinct from criminal prosecution: the punitive ₹102 crore fine covers seized market value and duties but does not foreclose further action under the Customs Act and COFEPOSA, and court proceedings and custodial remands continue. Rao remains in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, and her stepfather has publicly distanced himself from the case while saying he is “shocked and devastated.”  

Beyond the immediate headlines, investigators view the case as a potential entry point to dismantle a broader smuggling ecosystem that channels foreign gold into India’s unorganised markets. If the alleged hawala links and repeated courier runs are substantiated in court, the matter could prompt fresh scrutiny of airport security protocols and jewellery trade practices, and lead to intensified action against those who profit from the illegal import and domestic distribution of bullion.