In a fresh trouble, Sandalwood actress Ranya Rao has been given a notice to pay fine of Rs 102 crore for allegedly smuggling 127 kg of gold. The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said that the investigations have revealed that she smuggled 27 kg of gold.
The DRI issued a notice seeking Rs 102 crore in fine from Ranya Rao, and also issued a show cause notice to all four accused. Notably, the ED has already seized assets worth Rs 37 crore, reported local media.
Ranya Rao is currently under arrest under the COFEPOSA Act and is in the custody of the DRI. The DRI investigation has showed that she traded gold from Dubai. The actress had brought 127 kg of gold to Bengaluru in one year.
She was arrested earlier this year at Bengaluru airport while attempting to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore. The gold, in the form of biscuits, was strapped to her body. Rao is the stepdaughter of Karnataka DGP K Ramachandra Rao and allegedly used his connections to smuggle gold in the country on a number of occasions.
During interrogation, she had admitted that this was her first attempt at smuggling gold from Dubai. She also disclosed that she received calls from unknown numbers and learned gold concealment techniques from YouTube videos.
Ranya Rao’s mode of operation
The actress made a detailed admission to the DRI about her actions and how she managed to smuggle gold into the country. “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.
Initially she denied prior involvement in smuggling, saying, “This was my first time smuggling gold from Dubai to Bengaluru. I have never purchased or transported gold from Dubai before.”
Ranya said that she would buy crepe bandages and scissors at the airport, then secured the gold bars to her body in a restroom. “The gold was in two plastic-wrapped packets. I hid the bars in my jeans and shoes. I learned how to do this by watching YouTube videos,” she told officials.
However, she claimed of having no knowledge about her handler. “I don’t know exactly who called me. The caller had an African-American accent,” she said.