Did Ranya Rao Play a Key Role in a Global Smuggling Syndicate?

Bengaluru, July 4 (NationPress) An inquiry conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) into the high-profile gold smuggling case has uncovered that Kannada actress Ranya Rao was significantly involved in a global smuggling ring.

The investigation has also disclosed the involvement of public officials aiding her at Bengaluru International Airport, with their actions now under examination.

On Friday, the ED released a comprehensive press statement regarding the matter.

The ED noted: "Ranya Rao's participation in the creation, possession, and distribution of crime proceeds was substantiated by her digital trail, which comprises invoices, export declarations, foreign remittance documents, and recorded conversations that confirm her active engagement in the smuggling operation."

It has come to light that Ranya Rao received assistance upon her arrival in India at the airport, with the potential complicity of public servants in her unlawful activities now being scrutinized, according to the ED.

The investigation revealed that Ranya Rao, in deliberate collaboration with another accused, Tarun Konduru Raju, and others, devised a meticulously organized scheme to smuggle gold into India.

Gold was sourced from suppliers located in Dubai, Uganda, and other regions, with payments funneled through hawala networks in cash, effectively bypassing legal financial frameworks, stated the ED.

Fraudulent customs declarations were submitted in Dubai (with attached Dubai Customs declaration for reference), incorrectly stating that the gold shipments were destined for Switzerland or the US, while the actual transit of the gold smugglers was aimed at India, as per the ED.

To avoid inspection and facilitate the smuggling operations through Indian airports, dual sets of travel documentation were utilized—one for the declared export destination and another for their true arrival in India, according to the ED.

Furthermore, the ED's investigation indicated that the smuggled gold was subsequently sold within India for cash to jewelers and various local businesses, with the proceeds being laundered through additional hawala transactions overseas to finance further gold smuggling into India.

Evidence obtained from confiscated mobile devices and forensic analysis has disclosed extensive coordination with international gold suppliers, hawala intermediaries, and customs agents based in Dubai.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), headquartered in New Delhi, has provisionally seized immovable properties worth Rs 34.12 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, linked to the case of transnational gold smuggling and laundering by Harshavardini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, and her accomplices.

The seized assets comprise properties located in the Bengaluru and Tumkur districts of Karnataka. The attachments were executed under Section 5(1) of PMLA, representing assets equivalent in value to the untraced proceeds of crime identified during the investigation.

The ED commenced its inquiry based on an FIR dated March 7, filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (aligning with Section 120B IPC) and Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, following a complaint by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

The FIR involved the apprehension of two foreign nationals—an Omani and a UAE citizen—at Mumbai International Airport with 21.28 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold, valued at Rs 18.92 crore. Previously, on March 3, the DRI intercepted Ranya Rao at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, with 14.213 kg of concealed 24-carat foreign-origin gold, estimated at Rs 12.56 crore, as stated by the ED.

A search of her residence yielded Rs 2.67 crore in unaccounted Indian currency and gold jewelry valued at Rs 2.06 crore, according to the statement.

In her statement under Section 50 of the PMLA, Ranya Rao claimed ignorance regarding the seized gold and other assets; however, her assertions were conclusively disproven by physical evidence, including customs documents in her name, travel and purchase records, and digital conversations, the ED stated.

"Despite the seizure of 14.2 kg of smuggled gold and related assets by the DRI, the total proceeds of crime identified during the ED’s investigation have been estimated at Rs 55.62 crore. This figure includes around Rs 38.32 crore identified through the analysis of evidence collected during the investigation by the ED, including foreign invoices, customs declarations, and hawala-related remittances. This has been substantiated through searches executed by the ED under Section 17 of PMLA," the ED noted.

As a significant portion of the proceeds of crime had been obscured and reinvested into immovable assets to present them as untainted, the ED has provisionally seized four properties of equivalent value belonging to Ranya Rao, as per the ED's statement.

These properties include a residential home in Victoria Layout, Bengaluru; a residential plot in Arkavathi Layout, Bengaluru; industrial land in Tumkur District; and agricultural land in Anekal Taluk, with a combined fair market value of Rs 34.12 crore, according to the ED.

The attachment has been executed to prevent the concealment or alienation of these tainted assets and to secure the proceeds of crime in accordance with Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA. Ongoing investigations aim to trace the remaining proceeds of crime and identify additional individuals and entities involved in the syndicate, as stated by the ED.