Gold smuggling case: How did actor Ranya Rao try to dodge airport security?

Actress Ranya Rao was arrested for allegedly smuggling gold from Dubai. (Photo: X)

Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was caught with over 14 kg gold at the Bengaluru airport, was allegedly part of a gold smuggling racket. She reportedly managed to go through airports with the help of the State Protocol Officer who was also part of the syndicate.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is also investigating the smuggling case alongside CBI, on Wednesday opposed the bail of the 33-year-old, who was arrested on March 3.

Contending that the actor is not cooperating with the investigation, the DRI said, "We oppose her bail as it's a matter of national security. We also have to investigate the hawala channel."

How did Ranya Rao smuggle gold?

On March 3, while attempting to pass through the green channel at the Bengaluru airport, the actor denied carrying any dutiable goods, gold or contraband. But a metal detector alerted the DRI officers to the presence of concealed items on the person. Upon frisking, the DRI recovered 14.8 kg gold from her possession.

According to the DRI agency, Ranya Rao had passed through the immigration and the green channel with the help of the State Protocol Office and alleged the department's involvement.

In the court, the DRI said that it was the State Protocol Officer who was escorting her at the airport. She was caught just a step or two before the exit, as per a report by NDTV.

According to another report by India Today, the DRI arrest memo claimed Rao failed to provide proof of purchase or declaration for gold worth Rs 12.56 crore recovered from her.

According to rules, if a traveller has dutiable or prohibited goods, he or she must go through the red channel and not the green channel and declare them to the customs officers. The customs will check the items, then calculate any applicable duty (tax), and allow passage only after paying the appropriate duty.

The DRI also contended that huge money was arranged and transferred through hawala and they are investigating that channel, NDTV reported. "It shows that a syndicate was operating," the DRI said.

Following a probe, the agency suspects that Ranya Rao has strong links in Dubai. Rao wrapped the gold bars around her inner thighs, shin, and waist inside the airport in Dubai. She used tape and crepe bandage to wrap them around her body parts, DRI said. It suspects that she is not only a carrier, but is also involved in the nexus.

Upon landing at the Bengaluru International Airport, a state protocol officer would go to the immigration and pick up Rao’s luggage for fast-track security clearance. This way, she would skip frisking or going through metal detectors at the airport upon landing (unless security personnel are suspicious, people are not thoroughly scanned upon landing).

“It’s a clear case of protocol being misused," said sources in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), News18 reported.

She came under the radar because of her frequent travel to Dubai. In one year, she allegedly went to Dubai 30 times and four times in just 15 days. The authorities nabbed Rao at the Bengaluru airport when she was smuggling nearly 15kg of gold on March 3.

After she was arrested, gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash was recovered from her home in Bengaluru by the Bengaluru Directorate of Revenue Intelligence during raids. Rao is married to Jatin Hukkeri, who was also frequently travelling to Dubai with the actress. This is one of Karnataka’s biggest gold seizures in history.