Actor Ranya Rao, currently in the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), admitted during interrogation 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.
Rao, the stepdaughter of Karnataka DGP K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested 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.
“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, Rao denied prior involvement in smuggling but later admitted, “This was my first time smuggling gold from Dubai to Bengaluru. I have never purchased or transported gold from Dubai before.”
How Ranya Rao was handed gold at Dubai Airport for smuggling
She further detailed her method, stating that she bought 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 investigators.
However, she claimed ignorance regarding the identity of her handler. “I don’t know exactly who called me. The caller had an African-American accent,” she said.
Rao described how the gold was handed over to her. “After passing through security, a man gave me the gold bars and left immediately. He was around six feet tall and fair-skinned,” she recounted.
When questioned about the intended recipient in Bengaluru, she stated, “I was told to go to the service road after the airport toll gate and place the gold in an autorickshaw near the signal. However, I wasn’t given the vehicle’s number.”
“I was merely instructed to collect the gold from one unknown person and deliver it to another,” she added when asked about her involvement in a larger smuggling network.
Rao voluntarily disclosed that she used Jatin Vijay Kumar’s credit card to book her flight ticket. Addressing her frequent international travels, she explained, “I traveled for photography and real estate business. I have visited Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East multiple times.”
Despite her limited disclosures, the DRI is continuing its investigation. Data retrieved from her phone and laptop is now being used to track members of the smuggling syndicate.