The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has officially identified Kannada actress Harshavardini Ranya, who is better known as Ranya Rao, as the main suspect in a complete chargesheet that describes a major gold smuggling and money laundering operation.
The prosecution complaint, which was submitted to a special PMLA court in Bengaluru, claims that Rao operated as a key member of an illegal gold smuggling operation that brought in about 127 kilograms of gold worth more than ₹102 crore during the period from March 2024 to March 2025.
The legal process intensified after police arrested her at Kempegowda International Airport when they discovered she had hidden approximately 14 kilograms of gold. The federal agency investigation uncovered an advanced operation that used the actor’s public persona to evade normal security measures.
Organized Syndicate and Systematic Contraband Distribution
The investigation has exposed a well-structured criminal organization that used medical precision to execute operations that violated international customs laws.
The ED reported that the network used a controlled system to obtain gold from international markets which included Dubai and then smuggled it into India through different hiding techniques.
The illegal goods from international borders moved through an organized system that used local operators and jewelry businesses to sell them immediately in Indian markets.
The agency claims that these activities represent a permanent pattern of unlawful commerce that aims to destabilize the economic foundations of the country.
Money Laundering and Hawala Financial Layering
The chargesheet describes a complex money laundering scheme that extends beyond the physical theft of precious metals. The report states that smugglers used hawala networks to transfer the proceeds from smuggled gold sales to markets both within the country and outside it in order to avoid detection from banks.
For the purpose of creating legitimate financial assets, the defendants used financial layering techniques to transfer funds through various shell companies and multiple bank accounts.
The Enforcement Directorate has initiated the process to temporarily confiscate assets valued at ₹34.12 crore which belong to Rao and which they classify as criminal proceeds from his extensive smuggling activities.
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