She had it all: Kannada actress behind gold smuggling syndicate
BENGALURU: Harshvardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao (33), who was arrested by the Directorate of Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru in a gold smuggling case on the night of March 3, and was remanded to judicial custody till March 18 by a special court for economic offences in Bengaluru, had “thrice visited Dubai in February”, said sources on condition of anonymity.
“Ranya was travelling business class in Emirates Airlines from Dubai when she landed at KIA and was arrested. She reportedly holds a resident identity of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which proves that she has a base there. She may be using her business identity for her frequent travels overseas,” claimed sources.
DRI arrested Ranya at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) under Customs Act, 1962 for smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore. There were 14 gold bars, each weighing 1 kg, strapped on her thighs with tape and bandages. “She may have concealed the contraband gold on her person either inflight or just before boarding the flight to escape Customs officials,” said sources.
As per the Registrar of Companies (RoC) records, Ranya was the major shareholder in Ksiroda India Pvt Ltd, which was created on April 22, 2022. Classified as a non-government company, it is registered with ROC-Bangalore. The company website mentions Harshvardini Ranya and her brother Kabbinahalli Rushab as directors.
“The DRI is now investigating various angles in the gold smuggling case. Where was Ranya landing the gold in Bengaluru? Is she a mule or a member of a syndicate? What is the mode of payment for contraband gold?” pointed out sources.
The DRI arrested her friend Tarun Kondaraju in connection with gold smuggling and presented him in the court on Tuesday. He had accompanied Ranya to Dubai.
A frequent flier in business class of Emirates Airlines, short duration visits and protocol (police) escort at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) each time she landed in Bengaluru got Ranya under the radar of the agencies. “Around three to four international flights land at one time and there are around 300 passengers per flight. It is impossible to check everyone.
Sometimes the officials conduct random checks. On other occasions, arrests are made following interception based on intelligence/inputs and passenger profiling,” said sources. It is mandatory for international airlines to send their passenger manifest to Customs and Immigration officials.
Ranya’s frequent visits – 25 – in the last one year to Dubai and some other countries and four in the fortnight preceding her arrest – had drawn the attention of Customs and Immigration authorities at KIA, who had started profiling her for her overseas visits.
The day after her arrest, on March 4, the DRI recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash from her house – No 62, Nandwani Mansion in upscale Lavelle Road - during raids. The total seizure in the case amounted to Rs 17.29 crore, including assets worth Rs 4.73 crore.