33-year-old Kannada actor Ranya Rao was arrested on March 4, 2025, at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, on the charge of smuggling gold worth ₹12.56 crore, which weighs 14.8 kg, from Dubai.

Ranya, the stepdaughter of Karnataka Director General of Police (Police Housing Corporation) Ramachandra Rao, was being probed for making frequent trips to Dubai. Inquiries showed that she made about 30 trips to Dubai in the last year, bringing back large amounts of gold on most of them. She was allegedly given ₹1 lakh per kilogram of gold brought in, getting around ₹12-13 lakh on each trip.

On her arrival from Dubai on an Emirates flight, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials caught Ranya at the airport. A thorough search in her clothes, including altered jackets and waist belts, uncovered gold bars hidden therein. She was then arrested and produced before an economic offences court, which remanded her to 14 days in judicial custody.

Ranya's father, DGP Ramachandra Rao, was shocked by the incident and said he did not know what she did and had not spoken to her since her wedding. He underlined that the law should be allowed to run its course without any special favour.

The DRI is probing Ranya's involvement in a gold smuggling ring working through the Bengaluru airport. The security arrangements at the airport are also being examined by authorities to prevent the abuse of official privilege for such illegal activity.

Ranya Rao debuted in acting in 2014 with the Kannada film "Maanikya" and has been featured in Tamil cinema since, such as the 2016 movie "Wagah."