‘Shocked and devastated’: Karnataka DGP on stepdaughter Ranya Rao’s arrest

Karnataka senior police officer Ramachandra Rao, whose daughter and actor Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru airport on Monday with 14.8kg of gold, said he was “shocked and devastated.”

Rao, who is the Director General of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, said he was unaware of the incident until it was reported in the media. “As a father, I was shocked and devastated when I learned about it,” the senior police officer told ANI.

“She is not living with us, she is living separately with her husband. There must be some problem between them due to some family issues. Anyway, the law will do its job. There is no black mark in my career. I don’t want to say anything more,” he added The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday said that the gold bars seized from Ranya Rao at Kempegowda International Airport were worth ₹12.56 crore.

The 14.2 kg haul was one of the largest gold seizures at Bengaluru airport in recent times, said DRI officials. “Based on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted an Indian woman, aged around 33, who had arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight on March 3. Upon examination, gold bars weighing 14.2 kg were found ingeniously concealed on her person,” ministry of finance said in a statement.

Following the interception, DRI officers searched Ranya Rao’s residence on Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, where she lives with her husband. The search led to the seizure of gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore.

The actor was arrested under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and remanded to judicial custody, the ministry added. Ranya, originally from Chikmagalur, studied engineering in Bengaluru before joining films. She debuted in Kannada cinema with Maanikya (2014) and later acted in Tamil film Wagah (2016) and Kannada comedy Pataki (2017).