Gold smuggling: ED chargesheet in opposition to Kannada actor Ranya Rao, 2 others | India Information
2 min learnNew DelhiFeb 25, 2026 07:36 PM IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a prosecution grievance below the PMLA in opposition to Kannada actress Ranya Rao, stepdaughter of senior Karnataka police officer Okay Ramachandra Rao, Telugu actor Tarun Konduru, and hawala supplier Sahil Sakariya Jain earlier than a particular court docket in Bengaluru in an alleged gold smuggling and cash laundering case.
An company spokesperson mentioned on Wednesday that the accused have been charged with the offence of cash laundering below Part 3, punishable below Part 4 of the PMLA, 2002.
On March 3 final 12 months, Directorate of Income Intelligence (DRI) officers had intercepted Ranya at Kempegowda Worldwide Airport, Bengaluru on her arrival from Dubai allegedly with a consignment of 14.213 kg of gold (valued at Rs 12.56 crore), which was strapped on her physique utilizing bandages.
An FIR was registered by the CBI in March 2025, based mostly on a grievance from the DRI. Subsequent searches led to the restoration of gold jewelry price Rs 2.06 crore and Indian foreign money amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
In Could 2025, the ED had performed searches at 16 places throughout Karnataka and seized incriminating paperwork, digital gadgets, Indian and international foreign money. “Immovable properties price Rs 34.12 crore, held within the title of Ranya, had been provisionally hooked up in July 2025 below Part 5(1) of the PMLA. Probe has revealed an organised and structured mechanism for procuring gold overseas, illegally importing it into India, promoting it for money in native markets, and subsequently laundering the proceeds by means of each hawala and banking channels,” the spokesperson mentioned.
“The ED’s probe has uncovered that between March 2024 and March 2025, the accused allegedly smuggled 127.287 kg of gold valued at round Rs 102.55 crore into India. The smuggled gold was later offered within the home market by means of a community of handlers and jewellers,” a ED spokesperson mentioned in its assertion.
“The proceeds of crime had been allegedly generated in money and moved by means of hawala networks in India and overseas, earlier than being layered and routed by means of a number of financial institution accounts and entities to make them seem as reliable enterprise transactions,” the spokesperson alleged.