Kannada actor Ranya Rao fined ₹89cr in gold smuggling case
What's the story
The Customs Department has slapped a whopping ₹89cr fine on Kannada actor Ranya Rao for her alleged involvement in a gold smuggling racket. The penalty was announced through a 399-page adjudication order by Customs Joint Director Sandeep after an investigation into an alleged smuggling network involving Rao and three others. Collectively, the four accused have been penalized over ₹244cr.
Co-accused
Rao was apprehended last year
Apart from Rao, Tarun Konduru Raju has been fined ₹49.51cr while Sahil Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain have been penalized ₹53.06cr each, per Hindustan Times.
The case dates back to March 3, 2025, when Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials intercepted Rao at Kempegowda International Airport after she arrived from Dubai.
During the search, they recovered 14.213kg of concealed foreign-origin gold worth around ₹12.56cr.
Additional findings
Unaccounted cash, gold jewelry recovered from her residence
A subsequent search of Rao's residence uncovered ₹2.67cr in unaccounted cash and gold jewelry worth ₹2.06cr, as per the Enforcement Directorate.
The investigation also looked into alleged smuggling activities between March 7, 2024, and February 18, 2025, during which Rao and her associates reportedly brought around 113kg of gold from Dubai to India.
Legal battle
Rao spent a year in jail
The Manikya actor was arrested on March 3, 2025, but was later granted statutory bail in the Customs-related case.
However, she remained in custody after the government invoked the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) for her preventive detention.
The Supreme Court upheld this preventive detention order against Rao in April 2026.
She was released from Bengaluru Central Prison on April 22 after serving a one-year detention period.