Rao acted in an "obscene manner which is unbecoming of a government servant and also caused embarrassment to the government", his suspension order read.
Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya, accused in a gold smuggling case, has alleged that DRI officials assaulted her and forced her to sign blank and typed papers. She claims she was wrongly accused of carrying over 14 kg of gold upon her return from Dubai and was physically abused while in detention. Ranya also alleges that officials threatened to expose her father's identity if she refused to sign fabricated statements.
Kannada film actress Ranya Rao has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment under COFEPOSA in connection with a gold smuggling case. She was caught with 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately Rs 12.56 crore, at Kempegowda International Airport.
A Special Court of Economic Offences in Bengaluru rejected the bail plea of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, who is accused of gold smuggling. The second accused, Tarun Raju, has been remanded to judicial custody for 15 days. Ranya, the stepdaughter of a DGP rank officer, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 after gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from her. Subsequent searches at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery and Indian currency. Authorities discovered that Tarun Raju allegedly facilitated the smuggling operation by coordinating the gold's transport and distribution within India.
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has confirmed that Kannada actor Ranya Rao, recently arrested for gold smuggling, was allotted 12 acres of industrial land in 2023 by the previous BJP government for setting up a steel plant. The allocation was approved during a state-level meeting in January 2023, when the BJP was in power. The Congress government, which came to power after the May 2023 elections, has released documents confirming the land allotment. Ranya Rao was arrested after gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from her at Bengaluru airport.