Published Oct 01, 2026 | 12:08 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2026 | 12:08 PM
Ranya Rao was taken into custody on 3 March at Kempegowda International Airport,
Actor Ranya Rao has been fined ₹89.91 crore by Customs in connection with the gold-smuggling case against her.
Three other accused were fined a combined ₹155 crore.
Tarun Konduru Raju was penalised ₹49.51 crore, while Sahil Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain were each fined ₹53.06 crore.
The penalty was imposed through a 399-page adjudication order concerning the alleged smuggling of 113 kg of gold from Dubai between March 2024 and February 2025.
On October 1, 2026, 113 kg of gold is worth about ₹157.13 crore.
The Enforcement Directorate had pegged the total quantity of gold allegedly smuggled by Rao and her associates even higher, at 127.287 kg.
Rao, who is the stepdaughter of DGP K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on March 3, 2025, after DRI officials allegedly recovered about 14.2 kg of gold from her upon her arrival from Dubai.
The seized gold was valued at ₹12.56 crore at that time.
Raids on her residence in the posh locality of Lavelle Road in Bengaluru followed and led to the seizure of gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and ₹2.67 crore in cash.
Preliminary findings had suggested that Ranya, upon arriving at the airport, would allegedly identify herself as the DGP’s daughter and request police escorts to bypass standard security checks.
In September 2025, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) issued a show-cause notice proposing a penalty of up to Rs 102.55 crore against Rao.
Rao is currently out of jail.
She was released on April 22, 2026, after her one year preventive detention under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) ended. She had already secured statutory bail in the underlying Customs case in May 2025.
From our archives:
A tip-off, a midnight flight and baby’s diaper: Kochi lead yields Rs 1 crore gold haul
Kerala’s golden web of crime: Smugglers, airports and unholy nexus
(With inputs from Keerthivas. Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
