Ranya rao case: India’s Top Anti-Smagaling Agency Revenue Intelligence Intelligence (DRI) has made a new disclosure in the gold smuggling case related to Kannada actress Ranya Rao. The DRI claimed in the court on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) that he had evidence that Ranya and his friend Tarun Raju visited Dubai 26 times during the gold smuggling.
The agency told the court that during the visits, Rao and Raju used to go out in the morning and would come back by evening, which creates doubts. The agency protested against the bail plea filed by Tarun Raju and told the court that Raju was arrested from Bangalore Airport soon after Ranya Rao’s arrest, where the DRI was caught by the DRI smuggling the actor red -handed.
What else did the agency claim in court?
The investigating officers have found more financial transactions related to both the accused. The agency told the court that Raju took off from Dubai to Hyderabad on a ticket booked by Ranya, in which he used the money sent by Ranya to his account. Officials say they have evidence of this, which confirms the claim that it was part of the smuggling network.
Ranya Rao made 52 trips to Dubai
Ranya Rao made 52 trips to Dubai between 2023 and March 2025, of which Raju was with him in at least 26 trips. Officials suspect that these frequent trips were used for smuggling gold in India. As the investigation intensified, the authorities issued a lookout circular against Raju. On 8 March, he allegedly tried to flee the country and when he failed, he moved from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. The officials have submitted all the necessary documents including the legal basis of his arrest.
Investigators have also confirmed that Raju has citizenship of the United States, which raises more questions about his international activities and business transactions. Officials are still investigating Raju’s financial transactions in Dubai. They have received payment related to the purchase of gold and they are investigating potential international relations from the smuggling network.
Also read: ‘Marriage in November, was separated in December’, Ranya Rao’s husband claims in court in gold smuggling case