Ranya Rao, who was arrested for allegedly smuggled 14.8 kg of gold from Dubai, in her statement to the police admitted to carrying 17 gold bars on her body and unveiled the details of her international trips, as reported by NDTV.
"I have travelled to Europe, America, and (the) Middle East and have visited Dubai, Saudi Arabia. I wish to state that I am tired at present as I did not get enough rest," her statement read.
She revealed that she was the daughter of KS Hegdesh, a real estate businessman, and her husband Jatin Hukkeri, was an architect.
The actress also revealed that she was getting a fair trial and had not made her statement under any duress. Rao said that she was offered food while in custody, but she had refused since she wasn't hungry.
The Kannada actress was caught at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after they received a tip about her carrying contraband.
Also Read: How did Ranya Rao allegedly smuggle 14.8 kg gold from Dubai? Agency explains
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: How did Ranya Rao allegedly smuggle 14.8 kg gold from Dubai? Agency explains
{{/usCountry}}Rao, who is known for her performances in films like Maanikya and Pataki, was sent to judicial custody till March 18 by a special court for financial offences. The court is set to hear her bail plea today.
Also Read: Ranya Rao's DGP stepfather dismayed: ‘She never came to our house after…’
DRI officials have also asked the court to grant them access to Ranya Rao for three days March 9 onwards to continue their interrogation of the actress to determine whether she was part of a larger smuggling network.
The DRI stated that this was one of the largest gold seizures at the Bengaluru airport in recent years.
Also Read: Ranya Rao's DGP stepfather ‘unaware’ of her business affairs | Here's what he said
The actress strapped gold bars to her body and concealed them with clothing to avoid detection. Rao was also revealed to be the stepdaughter of senior police officer, K Ramachandra Rao.
She has made more than 30 short trips to Dubai in the last year, and would allegedly use her VIP status in relation to her stepfather to bypass regular passenger checks during air travel.
However, K Ramachandra Rao has denied any connection to her activities, and stated that they have not been in touch since Ranya Rao got married to Jatin Hukkeri.
DRI officers also conducted searches at Rao's residence where they seized gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and cash amounting to ₹2.67 crore.