Gold Smuggling Surge, Digital Assets' Analysis Brought Actor Ranya Rao Under Scanner After Confidant’s Tip-Off
Sources revealed that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, along with other financial intelligence agencies, had been monitoring two significant trends in gold smuggling, including the rise in smuggling through air routes
A tip-off from a confidant of Ranya Rao who worked as an informer, along with a digital analysis of her assets and movements, brought the Kannada actor under the scrutiny of financial intelligence agencies.
According to a top-level government official familiar with the case, the investigation is a prime example of both domestic and international coordination, an extensive intelligence network, and successful digital tracking of an individual.
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Sources revealed that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), along with other financial intelligence agencies, had been monitoring two significant trends in gold smuggling, including the rise in smuggling through air routes.
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“It was observed that south Indian airports reported more gold seizures than their north Indian counterparts. Intelligence networks were instructed to gather actionable tip-offs that could lead to operations. In December last year, a team got a tip-off that a high-profile network is working to smuggle gold.
“Working on the lead, officials got to know that Ranya Rao has planned trips to Middle East. Upon analysis of her financial assets and information, it was found that she had made multiple trips to the Middle East between the second week of February and March. A tip-off from an informer, who was also known to Rao, suggested that she was about to receive a large quantity of gold," a senior government official told News18 on the condition of anonymity.
The official added that with assistance from foreign authorities, Indian officials confirmed that Rao was carrying gold. “When she landed at Bengaluru airport, she was caught with 14.8kg gold concealed in her clothing. The initial investigation revealed that this was not her first instance of smuggling gold into India which is now a matter of investigation," the official said.
According to sources, DRI has been actively working to curb gold smuggling through air routes, which has seen a resurgence after the pandemic.
As per DRI data, gold seizures through air routes increased by approximately 24.14 per cent from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024.
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DRI data further indicates that in the 2023-2024 report, land routes accounted for 55 per cent of gold seizures, air routes for 36 per cent, and sea routes for 9 per cent. Comparatively, in the 2022-2023 report, land routes were responsible for 52 per cent of the seizures, air routes for 29 per cent, sea routes for 7 per cent, while 12 per cent of cases involved unknown sources. This data suggests an increase in gold smuggling through air and sea routes in the most recent year, although land routes remain the dominant channel.
The official also noted that several high-profile individuals are under scrutiny as smuggling tactics continue to evolve. Methods such as concealing gold within machinery or embedding it in household goods indicates that smugglers are adapting to stricter enforcement measures. In such cases, the carrier tries to influence law enforcement officials, making smuggling easy. Officials are not taking it as an isolated case and expect that a full network is working.
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