ED probe finds Ranya Rao’s active role in global smuggling syndicate

Bengaluru: The investigation by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) into the sensational gold smuggling case has revealed that Kannada actress Ranya Rao has played an active role in global smuggling syndicate.

The probe further revealed that the role of public servants in assisting her at the Bengaluru International Airport airport has also come out in open and their roles are under scrutiny.

The ED has issued a detailed press statement in this regard on Friday. The ED stated: “Ranya Rao’s involvement in generating, possessing, and circulating proceeds of crime was further corroborated by her digital footprint, which includes invoices, export declarations, foreign remittance records, and recorded chats establishing her active role in the smuggling syndicate.”

It has also emerged during investigation that Ranya Rao was assisted at the airport upon her arrival in India, and the possible involvement of public servants in facilitating her illicit activities is under scrutiny, the ED stated.

The ED investigation has revealed that Ranya Rao, in active collusion with another accused Tarun Konduru Raju and others, orchestrated a well-structured operation for smuggling gold into India.

Gold was procured from suppliers based in Dubai, Uganda, and other jurisdictions, and payments were made through hawala channels in cash, thereby circumventing legal financial systems, the ED said.

False customs declarations were filed in Dubai (Dubai Customs deceleration attached for reference), fraudulently declaring the destination of gold shipments as Switzerland or the US, while the actual travel of the gold smugglers was to India, ED stated.

Dual sets of travel documents were used i.e. one for the declared export destination and the other for their actual arrival in India, to evade scrutiny and facilitate smuggling through Indian airports, ED said.

Further, ED investigation has revealed that the smuggled gold was then sold within India in cash to jewellers and other local entities, and the proceeds were subsequently laundered through further hawala remittances abroad to finance repeat consignments for smuggling more gold into India.

Evidence retrieved from the seized mobile phones and forensic extraction of digital devices, have revealed detailed coordination with foreign gold suppliers, hawala operators, and Dubai-based customs agents.

Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Headquarter Office, New Delhi has provisionally attached immovable properties valued at Rs 34.12 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in a case involving transnational gold smuggling and laundering of its proceeds by Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao and her associates.

The attached assets include immovable properties located in Bengaluru and Tumkur districts of Karnataka.

The attachments have been made in terms of Section 5(1) of PMLA as property equivalent in value to the untraced proceeds of crime identified during the course of investigation.

ED initiated its investigation on the basis of FIR dated March 7 registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).