Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was arrested earlier this month at Bengaluru airport in a gold smuggling case, revealed during the interrogation that it was the first time that she smuggled gold from Dubai to Bengaluru. The actor also admitted that she got calls from unknown numbers and claimed that she learnt to hide gold from YouTube videos, India Today reported.
“The gold was in two plastic-covered packets. I attached the gold bars to my body in the airport restroom. I hid the gold in my jeans and shoes. I learnt how to do this from YouTube videos,” the Kannada actor said.
"This was the first time I smuggled gold from Dubai to Bengaluru. I have never brought or purchased gold from Dubai before," she added, denying prior involvement in smuggling.
Rao told the DRI officials that she received a phone call from a foreign number, and was given all the instructions for smuggling gold from Dubai to India. “I received a call from a foreign phone number on March 1. I had been receiving calls from unknown foreign numbers for the past two weeks. 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,” she said.
She denied knowing the identity of the caller. “I am not entirely sure who called me. The caller had an African-American accent,” she said. “After passing through security, a man gave me the gold bars and left immediately. He was around six feet tall and fair-skinned,” she added.
She further stated, “I was told to go to the service road after the Bengaluru airport toll gate and place the gold in an autorickshaw near the signal. However, I was not given the vehicle’s number.”
“I was only instructed to collect the gold from one unknown person and deliver it to another,” she added when asked about her involvement in a larger smuggling network.
Rao also revealed that she booked her ticket using Jatin Vijay Kumar's credit card. In her statement, Rao also explained her frequent foreign travels. "I travelled for work in real estate and photography. In her statement, she claimed to have travelled to Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East on several occasions.
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