Kannada actress Ranya Rao made headlines after she was detained by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Bengaluru International Airport for allegedly smuggling 14.8 kg of gold from Dubai. Authorities confirmed her arrest on March 3, 2025, after she arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight. The economic offences court has placed her under a 14-day judicial remand; she had reportedly travelled to Dubai 4 times in the span of 15 days. Investigators claim she smuggled gold by wearing a portion of it and concealing the other bars in her clothing.
Who is Ranya Rao?
Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of the Director General of Police (Police Housing Corporation) Ramachandra Rao. Ranya made her acting debut in 2014 in the Kannada movie ‘Maanikya’, where she played the second female lead opposite actor Sudeep. The film had a successful 100-day run in theaters.
Since then, she has appeared in two projects: the Tamil film ‘Wagah’, where she starred as the female lead alongside Vikram Prabhu, and the Kannada film ‘Pataki’ (2017), where she was paired opposite Ganesh. Both of her Kannada films were remakes.