The actor claimed she was arrested aboard the flight on landing, and was forced to sign documents under duress.
Published Mar 15, 2025 | 6:32 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 16, 2025 | 9:14 AM
Ranya Rao. (X)
Synopsis: Kannada actor Ranya Rao, arrested for allegedly smuggling gold, said she was tortured in custody and forced to sign documents under duress. The actor refuted the DRI’s claim that she was arrested from the Kempegowda International Airport, but said she was picked up from inside the plane from Dubai.
Gold smuggling-accused Kannada actress Ranya Rao on Saturday, 15 March, pleaded innocence and accused DRI officials of torturing her in custody.
In a letter sent to the Additional Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the actor said she was arrested from the aircraft on 3 March, and not from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) as claimed by the officials.
Harshavardini Ranya — popularly known as Ranya Rao — added that she was denied proper food and sleep, and forced to sign multiple documents under duress.
The torture, she said, began after her arrest around 6.45 pm till she was produced before the court at around 7.50 pm the next day. “In fact, the officers purposefully denied me sleep”, she alleged.
The letter, dated 6 March, was sent through the Superintendent of the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, where she has been lodged.
Claiming that she was tortured even while being taking in a car from the airport, she requested the DRI officer that “no reliance be placed on any of the statements recorded during this period from the time of my apprehension, till I was produced in court”.
According to the DRI, Ranya was arrested from the KIA for attempting to smuggle in 14.2 kilograms of gold. She had arrived at Terminal – 2 aboard an Emirates flight from Dubai, where she had visited multiple times in 15 days.
It was also alleged that she had earlier used the influence of her father, a DGP-ranked IPS officer, to leave the airport unchecked.
Explaining her denial of custodial torture before a judge, she alleged in the letter that the DRI officials threatened her into silence, saying “if I mentioned any of the assault to the judge, ‘then mind you, we will expose your father’s name and use his identity against you/on you'”.
The actor further said she was implicated in the case to protect some others.
“Some persons from Delhi, who stated to be officers, clearly wanted to protect some other passengers and have falsely implicated me,” her letter stated.
The actor wrote that she was forced to sign multiple pages. She also said she was “hit and slapped” on the face for about 10-15 times. Ranya said she could identify the officials who had tortured her.
“In spite of repeated hitting and slapping me on my face, I refused to sign the statements they prepared. One of the officers said, ‘we will expose your father’s name even though we know he is nowhere involved in this'”, the letter read.
Ranya further said “she signed about 50-60 typed pages and around 40 blank white pages, only by force by the DRI officers”.
A photograph of Ranya that was circulated showed her with dark circles around her eyes, which gave rise to speculation that she had been tortured in custody. However, when asked by a court, the actor said she was not tortured.
“I was verbally tortured and threatened. I am traumatised and emotionally broken,” she reportedly told the court on 10 March.
The DRI said the entire procedure, including the actor’s arrest and interrogation, had been electronically recorded.
The woman is now in judicial custody.
Ranya made her film debut in 2014 with the Kannada movie Maanikya, directed by Kichcha Sudeep, who also acted in it.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
