Actor Ranya Rao under Income Tax Questioning for 3 Days under Gold Smuggling Allegations
The move marks a rare overlap between the tax department and customs enforcement
Kannada film actor Ranya Rao will face three days of custodial questioning by the Income Tax Department inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after a special court granted investigators on-site access in a high-profile gold-smuggling probe. The investigators are widening the case beyond routine smuggling charges to include alleged tax evasion and money-laundering...
Kannada film actor Ranya Rao will face three days of custodial questioning by the Income Tax Department inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after a special court granted investigators on-site access in a high-profile gold-smuggling probe. The investigators are widening the case beyond routine smuggling charges to include alleged tax evasion and money-laundering angles.
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The Special Court for Economic Offences authorised interrogation from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until 13 June and ordered the entire process be videographed for the record.
Rao, 30, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport on 3 March when customs officers allegedly found 14.8 kg of 24-carat gold concealed around her waist, calves, shoes and pockets after she landed from Dubai. The bullion, worth an estimated ₹12.56 crore, is among the largest individual seizures at the airport this year. She was booked under the Customs Act and the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention ofSmuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) and has remained in judicial custody ever since.
Although the actor secured conditional bail on 20 May in the customs case, she remains behind bars because of a separate preventive-detention order under COFEPOSA. Her mother, Geetha Rao, has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Karnataka High Court alleging illegal detention; a hearing is expected later this month.
Inspectors Shwetha G. and Ravipal Singh will lead the nine-member team armed with a 40-point questionnaire covering Rao’s foreign trips, declared income and alleged links to hawala operators in Dubai and Mumbai.
If officials establish that Rao acted for a broader syndicate, she could face additional charges under laws targeting benami assets and black money.
The arrest has rattled Sandalwood, where Rao is best known for roles in Mangalore to Mumbai and Pataki. Producers have quietly recast her parts in at least two forthcoming films, according to industry insiders. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce said it will “await the outcome of the legal process.”
Customs officials report seizing an additional 37 kg of gold from arriving passengers since March, a trend they say underscores Bengaluru’s rising status as a smuggling hub. Officers have intensified profiling on flights from Gulf cities and are testing body-scanners capable of detecting metal even when wrapped in bandages.
With questioning set to begin on Wednesday morning, tax investigators hope Rao’s testimony will illuminate the financial pipeline behind what they suspect is an organised smuggling ring. The results of the three-day session are expected to be submitted to the court next week.
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