In a major crackdown on a gold smuggling and money laundering racket, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in New Delhi has provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹34.12 crore belonging to popular Kannada actress Harshavardini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED’s Headquarter Investigative Unit-II attached four high-value properties linked to Ranya — including a luxury residence in Victoria Layout, a plot in Arkavathi Layout, industrial land in Tumakuru, and agricultural land in Anekal Taluk. The attachment is aimed at preventing concealment or sale of these assets, identified as proceeds of crime.
Investigations revealed that Ranya Rao, along with her associate Tarun Konduru Raju and others, ran an international gold smuggling syndicate. Gold was sourced from Dubai, Uganda, and other regions, with payments funneled through hawala networks, bypassing legal banking systems.
To mislead authorities, fake customs declarations were filed in Dubai showing Switzerland and the USA as destinations, while smugglers actually flew to India. Dual travel documents were used to carry out this deception.
Once in India, the gold was sold for cash to local jewellers, and the illicit earnings were laundered back through hawala routes to fund further smuggling cycles.
The case emerged following a CBI FIR, based on a complaint by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The ED is continuing its probe to trace remaining assets and funds linked to the racket.