Kannada actress Ranya Rao and two others named by Enforcement Directorate in Bengaluru gold smuggling chargesheet - Reports

Kannada actress Ranya Rao, also known as Harshavardini Ranya, got into trouble after she was caught in a gold smuggling case. She was arrested in March last year after officials found gold with her at the airport.

Regarding recent developments in the case, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet on Wednesday in Bengaluru.

ED files chargesheet in Bengaluru

According to PTI, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet on Wednesday in Bengaluru. The case is filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Along with Ranya Rao, the ED named Tarun Konduru and Bellari-based gold dealer Sahil Sakariya Jain. The chargesheet was filed before a special PMLA court in Bengaluru.

The ED said all three are linked to the gold smuggling network.

Arrest at Bengaluru airport

For the unversed, Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3, 2025, by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. She was stopped at the Kempegowda International Airport after she landed from Dubai. There, the officials recovered 14.2 kg of gold bars from her, which was worth Rs 12.56 crore.

How the network worked

The ED said the probe found that 127.28 kg of gold worth Rs 102.55 crore was smuggled into India between March 2024 and March 2025. The gold was sold in the local market using handlers and jewellers. The money came in cash. The ED said the money moved through “hawala” channels in India and abroad. The agency said, “Such activities not only undermine the legal trade and financial systems but also erode public trust in institutions meant to regulate cross-border transactions.

” The ED also attached assets worth Rs 34 crore belonging to Ranya Rao during the probe.