Bengaluru: Actress Ranya Rao has alleged that she has endured custodial abuse and has been wrongfully implicated in a prominent gold smuggling case. In a letter directed to the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Ms. Rao asserts that her arrest occurred directly from the aircraft rather than from the airport terminal, as officially reported.
She further alleges that she was subjected to physical violence, deprived of food and sleep, and pressured into signing blank documents under coercion.
These claims were made shortly after a special court in Bengaluru denied her request for bail. The situation has taken a political dimension, with the Karnataka government initiating an investigation into the alleged involvement of Ms. Rao’s stepfather, Karnataka Director General of Police K Ramachandra Rao, and examining potential failures by law enforcement.
Ms. Rao was apprehended by the DRI at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3, after being accused of smuggling over 14 kg of gold from Dubai. However, in her letter from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, she maintains that she was detained on the aircraft prior to disembarking, which contradicts official accounts.
The letter, included in a jail memo, details her claims of mistreatment. Ms. Rao alleges that she was slapped multiple times, threatened with the revelation of her father’s identity, and compelled to sign blank documents. She contends that she is being framed to protect more powerful individuals involved in the smuggling operation.
However, these allegations raise questions. Ms. Rao penned the letter on March 6 and was presented in court on March 9. The judge inquired three times about any instances of custodial torture, to which she responded negatively each time. Additionally, her legal representatives did not raise any claims of torture.
On Friday, the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru denied Ms. Rao’s bail application.
In the current case, Special Judge Vishwanath C Gowdar noted that the first accused, Ranya Rao, holds a UAE Resident Identity Card and has a record of traveling to Dubai on 27 occasions since January 2025. This information contributes to the court’s decision not to grant bail as a discretionary relief.
The court emphasized that the alleged crime poses significant threats to the nation’s economy due to the substantial amount of gold involved in the smuggling operation. Preliminary investigations indicated that Ms. Rao attempted to conceal gold bars by taping them to her body, stashing them in her jeans pockets, and hiding them in her footwear.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has estimated that the customs duties and penalties evaded amount to Rs 4.83 crore, which is significantly higher than the legal limit of Rs 50 lakh as stipulated by the Customs Act.
Initially, the state had mandated a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inquiry into potential protocol breaches at the airport. However, this order was rescinded within 24 hours, raising concerns about possible political interference. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara justified the decision, explaining that since the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) was already addressing the issue, an additional police investigation was deemed unnecessary.
In response to a complaint from the DRI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated a separate inquiry into the suspected involvement of unidentified public officials in facilitating the smuggling activities.
On March 6, shortly after Ms. Rao’s arrest, two foreign nationals—one from Oman and the other from the UAE—were apprehended while attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The DRI suspects that these incidents are linked and form part of a broader gold smuggling network operating from Dubai.
The DRI stated, “The potential involvement of unidentified public servants from the Government of India and others within such a coordinated network warrants thorough investigation.”
