BENGALURU: The arrest of Sandalwood actor Ranya Rao in a gold smuggling case has sent shockwaves across Karnataka, with her father, senior IPS officer DGP K Ramachandra Rao, swiftly distancing himself from her actions.
Ranya, caught at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) with 14kg of gold bars hidden in a belt, was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after returning from Dubai.
The 32-year-old actress, who has starred in Kannada and Tamil films, was remanded to 14-day judicial custody on Tuesday. Investigators suspect she was part of a larger smuggling network operating through Bengaluru airport.
While the case has sparked public debate, DGP Rao maintained that he had no connection to his daughter’s activities. “She got married four months ago and hasn’t visited us since. We are unaware of her or her husband’s business dealings. This has come as a huge shock and disappointment. The law will take its course,” he told TOI.
Ranya had been on the DRI’s radar due to her frequent foreign trips, reportedly making over 10 short visits to the Gulf since January 2025. Authorities are now reviewing footage of her previous arrivals to assess whether she smuggled gold on earlier occasions.
Sources also revealed that protocol privileges typically reserved for bureaucrats helped her evade scrutiny. A protocol officer would escort her out of the airport, ensuring she avoided physical frisking, while a government vehicle picked her up, preventing any road checks.
Adding another layer to the controversy, DGP Rao himself was embroiled in a past scandal. In 2014, when he was IGP (Southern Range), a Kerala-based jeweler accused Mysuru police of misappropriating Rs 2 crore seized from a private bus. The CID later investigated the case and arrested Rao’s gunman for dacoity.
With multiple agencies now probing Ranya’s role in the smuggling racket, authorities are working to determine the extent of her involvement and potential links to larger organised networks.