Gold haul: Ranya received multiple foreign calls 3 weeks prior to arrest

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The investigation into the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao, apprehended by DRI officials, continues to reveal new details daily. Recent findings indicate that Ranya received numerous calls from unidentified numbers in Dubai, Malaysia, and various European nations three weeks prior to her arrest. DRI officials are pursuing further inquiries, and Ranya has claimed during the investigation that she feels she has been ensnared in a trap. Authorities are now examining the identity of the individuals who made repeated calls to Ranya. They have obtained her call detail records (CDR) to analyse the purpose of these communications and the involvement of the callers in the gold smuggling operation.

Additionally, they are investigating the internet calls Ranya referenced to ascertain the authenticity of the unknown individuals. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that Ranya Rao, who did not travel internationally in 2022, made 52 trips to Dubai in 2023. Out of these, 45 were one-day visits. Ranya frequently boarded flights to Dubai, traveling there at least three times a month, with 11 trips occurring in the last five months alone. During her interrogation, Ranya confessed to the DRI that a man, approximately six feet tall, handed her two boxes filled with gold. She admitted to purchasing a baggage tag and a knife at the airport to disguise the gold. Ranya also revealed that she learned the methods of gold smuggling by watching YouTube videos, stating, "I had never smuggled gold before. This was my first attempt," as reported to the officials. She procured a crepe bandage and scissors at the airport to conceal the gold. Subsequently, she went to the restroom and wrapped the gold bars around her body using the bandage. She was instructed to proceed to the Bengaluru Airport Toll and place the gold in an autorickshaw parked along the service road.

Ranya expressed uncertainty about the identity of the person giving her directions, noting that the individual's language suggested an African-American. Ranya was caught two weeks after her previous Dubai trip, during which she argued with customs officials, claiming that she was the daughter of a DIG and refusing to undergo a security check. Each time, she was escorted out by police head constable Basavaraj from the airport police station. After this incident, DRI officials, who were monitoring Ranya, kept a close eye on her foreign travels. They were waiting for her return when she made another trip to Dubai to nab her.