Kannada actress penalised Rs 89 Cr in gold smuggling case
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Bengaluru: Kannada actor Ranya Rao has been fined Rs 89 crore by the Customs Department over violations linked to the smuggling of gold from Dubai to India. The penalty was imposed through a 399-page adjudication order issued by Customs Joint Director Sandeep following an investigation into a smuggling network involving Rao and three others.
The four accused have collectively been fined more than Rs 244 crore. Tarun Konduru Raju was fined Rs 49.51 crore, while Sahil Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain were each fined Rs 53.06 crore.
The case relates to an incident on March 3, 2025, when Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials intercepted Rao upon her arrival at Kempegowda International Airport after her return from Dubai. A search allegedly uncovered 14.213 kg of foreign-origin gold worth around Rs 12.56 crore concealed in her possession. A subsequent search of her residence led to the seizure of unaccounted cash worth Rs 2.67 crore and gold jewellery valued at Rs 2.06 crore.
Customs investigators also examined alleged smuggling activities between March 7, 2024, and February 18, 2025. During this period, Rao and her associates were alleged to have smuggled around 113 kg of gold from Dubai into India.
The latest Customs action follows a DRI penalty notice issued in September 2025, which had sought Rs 102 crore from Rao.
Although Rao secured statutory bail in the Customs case, she remained in custody under the preventive detention provisions of COFEPOSA. The Supreme Court upheld the detention order in April 2026. After completing a year in detention, she was released from Bengaluru Central Jail on April 22.