Bengaluru:
The revelations that were revealed after stopping a high-profile woman on 3 March 2025 at Bengaluru Airport shook the entire country. When DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) stopped and searched Ranya Rao on suspicion, 14.2 kg of smuggling gold was recovered under his clothes. That was just the beginning. When the DRI team raided Ranya’s house on March 4 the next morning, additional gold and ₹ 2.67 crore were also found untreated from there. Soon after, he was arrested.
Who is Ranya Rao?
The case caught up further when it was revealed that Ranya Rao, DGP Housing of Karnataka is the step daughter of Ramchandra Rao. Despite contact in the police administration, she could not escape from the long hands of the law. It was revealed in the arms that Ranya Rao was helped to get out of the airport. Was given on Rao’s instructions.
Action of investigative agencies and appointment of IAS officer
Given the seriousness of the case, the ED (Enforcement Directorate), the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and DRI are investigating the case. Not only this, the state government appointed IAS officer Gaurav Gupta in this case to find out on whom the protocol was given to Ranya Rao at the airport. Was there connivance of government officials? Was this smuggling going on for a long time? This investigation is now searching for answers to these questions.
Tarun Raju: Important player for the purchase of gold
Ranya Rao was not alone in this fraud. Tarun Raju used to help her. Tarun used to buy diamonds in Dubai in the name of his showroom Veera Diamonds. Tarun was not only his associate in the purchase of gold, but he also traveled to Dubai with Ranya.
According to DRI, Tarun was with Ranya in Dubai on March 3
From 2024 to February 2025, Ranya traveled a total of 26 times between Dubai and Bangalore, proof of how organized and regular gold smuggling was. After Tarun’s arrest, it became clear that he used to help Ranya illegally from Dubai and sell it to Bangalore.
Sahil Jain: Gold dealer and hawala operator
When the investigation proceeded, another big name came out from Sahil Jain. From November 2024 to February 2025, Sahil Jain hired 49.6 kg of smuggling, which was valued at around ₹ 40.13 crore. According to the DRI report, Sahil helped to send a hawala transaction of ₹ 38.39 crore to Dubai with the help of Ranya Rao. Apart from this, he also supported the amount of ₹ 1.73 crore to Ranya in Bengaluru. It was also revealed that Ranya Rao had saved Sahil Jain’s number in his phone as “AU Bangalore Dispatch Newton”.
DRI disclosure: hawala and unaccounted property
The DRI believes that the amount of cash related to ₹ 2.67 crore seized from Ranya’s house was a profit -related amount. This money was earned from buying gold in Dubai and selling at high prices in Bangalore. Investigation of case and further action
In this case, ED, CBI and DRI all the three agencies are constantly engaged in gathering evidence. Now the biggest question is whether Ranya Rao and his associates will be able to avoid the clutches of the law? Or will this case become an example in the world of smuggling? For the country’s security agencies, it is not just an economic crime, but an organized criminal network. In the coming days, more big names can be revealed in this case, which may be associated with this racket.