Ramchandra Rao, the Director General of Police (Karnataka State Housing Corporation), has expressed deep shock and distress over the arrest of his daughter, Ranya Rao, who was caught attempting to smuggle a massive quantity of gold at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Addressing the media, the senior police official stated that he was completely unaware of his daughter's alleged involvement in any illegal activity and only came to know about the incident through news reports. “I was also shocked and devastated when such an incident came to my notice through the media. I was not aware of any of these things. Like any other father, I was also shocked,” Rao said, emphasizing that he had no prior knowledge of her activities.
Rao, who has served in the police force for years without any controversies, reiterated that the law would take its due course and that he had nothing to hide regarding his own professional integrity. “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, choosing not to elaborate further on the matter.
The shocking turn of events unfolded when the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Ranya Rao on Monday evening upon her arrival from Dubai. She was allegedly attempting to bypass security checks by leveraging her influential connections. However, despite her efforts, officials intercepted her and uncovered gold worth a staggering ₹12.56 crore, concealed on her person. Following her arrest, the DRI carried out a search operation at her lavish residence in Bengaluru’s posh Lavelle Road locality. This raid led to further shocking discoveries, as officials recovered additional quantities of gold along with large amounts of unaccounted cash running into crores of rupees.
Investigators revealed that Ranya had been under their radar for quite some time due to her unusually frequent international travel, particularly to Dubai, a hub known for gold trade and smuggling networks. Officials noted that she had traveled abroad over 30 times in the past year alone, with four trips occurring within just the last 15 days—raising serious suspicions about her involvement in smuggling activities. This pattern of travel, combined with intelligence inputs, led officials to closely monitor her movements. Upon her return from Dubai, authorities conducted a thorough search, leading to the discovery of the concealed gold bars. Sources indicate that she had hidden a significant portion of the smuggled gold inside her jacket in an attempt to evade detection, but the alert customs and DRI officials foiled her plans.
As the investigation continues, law enforcement agencies are delving deeper into her financial transactions, contacts, and potential links to a larger international gold smuggling syndicate. Authorities are also examining whether she was working alone or if she had accomplices within the airport or other external networks aiding her in carrying out these operations. Given the large quantity of gold recovered, officials suspect that this was not an isolated incident but part of a well-organized smuggling racket operating between Dubai and India.
The case has sparked widespread discussion, not only because of the gravity of the offense but also due to Ranya Rao’s high-profile background as the daughter of a senior police officer. Questions are being raised about how such activities could have gone unnoticed for so long, despite her frequent travels and the staggering value of the smuggled gold. Legal experts believe that if proven guilty, she could face stringent legal action under the Customs Act and other related laws governing gold smuggling.
Meanwhile, Ramchandra Rao has maintained his stand that he had no involvement or prior knowledge of his daughter’s actions. He has also made it clear that he will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings in any way. As the investigation unfolds, further details are expected to emerge regarding Ranya Rao’s alleged role in the gold smuggling network and the potential ramifications of her arrest.
