Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was arrested on March 3 at the Bengaluru International Airport while allegedly attempting to smuggle 14.2 kg gold following a Dubai visit, tried to evade customs checking by tying the gold bars around her waist and calves. According to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrest memo, Rao was asked at the Green Channel crossing of Bengaluru Airport if she was carrying any dutiable goods and she responded negatively. However, when she, along with her baggage, passed through the metal detector, there was a positive indication. When her bag was frisked, nothing was found. Later, officials found gold bars tied around her waist, and calves using crepe bandages and tissues. They also found cut gold bar pieces in her shoes and front pockets. Ranya Told Dubai Customs She Was Taking Gold To Geneva A fresh probe by the DRI has revealed that Rao had told the Dubai customs officials that she was taking the gold to Geneva. DRI sources said Rao had purchased the gold on November 13, 2024, and December 20, 2024, in Dubai and claimed that she was taking the gold to Geneva, but instead travelled to India. Ranya Rao has admitted that on two earlier occasions, she intended to carry gold from Dubai to India. She has evaded duty of Rs 4.83 crore. Who Is Ranya Rao And Why Was She Arrested? Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of Director General of Police (Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation) Ramachandra Rao. She was 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 earlier this week. 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.