Kannada actor Ranya Rao – the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer caught smuggling gold at the Bengaluru airport – has admitted that “17 gold bars” were found on her in a confession given to the revenue officials after her arrest. In a leaked statement, she has also revealed the details of her international trips that included the Middle East, Dubai, and some Western countries.
“I have travelled to Europe, America, and (the) Middle East and have visited Dubai, Saudi Arabia. I wish to state that I am tired at present as I did not get enough rest,” the statement read.
It was earlier learnt that she had made 27 trips to Dubai in the past year which brought her under the scanner of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
She also revealed her family details in her statement – she said her father is KS Hegdesh, a real estate businessman, and her husband is Jatin Hukkeri, an architect who lives with her in Bengaluru.
Ranya Rao offered to cooperate with the investigators as she remains in judicial custody until next hearing.
Ramachandra Rao, the Director-General of Police of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, is her stepfather. Ms Rao is one of his second wife’s two daughters from her previous marriage.
Read: “Ask For Fairness Towards Myself, Family”: IPS Officer After Daughter’s Arrest
The 33-year-old actor, who made her debut with the 2014 movie Maanikya starring Kichcha Sudeep, also offered to cooperate with the investigators as she remains in judicial custody until next hearing.
Suggesting that she was getting a fair trial, she said her statement was voluntary and without any force, and that she was also offered food from time to time, which she refused since she wasn’t hungry.
The actor was arrested with 14 kg gold bars worth Rs 14.56 crore at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru Monday night in one of the largest gold seizures in recent times. The officials tracking her movement grew suspicious since this was her fourth Dubai trip in 15 days and confronted her, leading to the seizure.
Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after 14.8 kilograms of gold was allegedly found in her possession.
According to a report by Indo-Asian News Service, she was part of a smuggling network and took hefty commissions to smuggle goods from Dubai to Bengaluru – about Rs 4-5 lakh to smuggle a kilogram of gold. Investigators have revealed that she used to wear some of the gold and conceal the rest in her clothing to avoid being caught.
Read: 14 Kg Gold Haul, One Step Away From Exit: How Actor Ranya Rao Was Caught
The officials also raided her house after arresting her and recovered more gold jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore and Indian currency about Rs 2.67 crore.
Her stepfather Ramachandra Rao has denied involvement in the crime and said he was “shocked and devastated” by the news of his stepdaughter being arrested over smuggling charges.
In a detailed statement on Wednesday, the senior police officer said there had been no “black mark” on his career and that they had not been in touch since she got married about four months ago.
“It is deeply distressing that, despite this lifelong dedication, my reputation and family’s future are now being tarnished by something beyond our control…I understand that in speculative times like these, my years of hard work may be unfairly associated with these events,” the statement added.
