Gold smuggling case: Ranya Rao, associates smuggled 127.287 kg gold in one year using Hawala: ED

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Feb 26, 2026: Kannada actress Ranya Rao and her associates allegedly smuggled 127.287 kg of gold worth ₹102.55 crore into India within a span of one year, according to a prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday.

The complaint, equivalent to a police chargesheet, was submitted before the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Bengaluru.

The ED named Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao; Tarun Konduru Raju alias Virat Konduru, identified as her key associate; and Sahil Sakariya Jain, a Ballari-based jeweller who allegedly assisted in disposing of the smuggled gold.

The agency has invoked offences under Section 3 (money laundering) and Section 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

According to the ED, investigations revealed that between March 2024 and March 2025, 127.287 kg of gold valued at approximately ₹102.55 crore was smuggled into the country. The contraband was allegedly sold in the domestic market through a network of handlers and jewellers. The proceeds were generated in cash and settled through hawala channels in India and abroad. These funds were then layered and routed through multiple bank accounts and entities to project them as legitimate business transactions.

The ED further stated that the investigation uncovered an organised and structured mechanism involving procurement of gold overseas, illegal import into India, cash-based disposal, and laundering of proceeds through hawala and banking channels. Such activities, it said, undermine legal trade and financial systems and erode public trust in institutions regulating cross-border transactions.

Searches conducted on May 21 and 22, 2025, at 16 locations across Karnataka led to the seizure of incriminating documents, digital devices, and Indian as well as foreign currency. Statements of several individuals were recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA during the investigation.

The ED said immovable properties worth ₹34.12 crore held in Ranya’s name were provisionally attached under Section 5(1) of the PMLA through Provisional Attachment Order No. 16/2025 dated July 4, 2025.

The agency initiated its probe based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on March 7, 2025, following a complaint by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

On March 3, 2025, the DRI intercepted Ranya at the Kempegowda International Airport, allegedly recovering 14.213 kg of concealed foreign-origin gold valued at ₹12.56 crore. Subsequent searches resulted in the seizure of gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and ₹2.67 crore in cash. The DRI later arrested her alleged accomplices and filed a prosecution complaint under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962.

Ranya and her associates are currently lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after being booked under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), 1974.