The customs department has ordered Kannada actor Ranya Rao to pay ₹89.91 crore in penalties over alleged gold smuggling, as part of a 399-page adjudication order that imposes over ₹244 crore in penalties on four people accused in the case, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The order, issued by Customs joint director Sandeep on Wednesday, also imposes a ₹49.51 crore penalty on Tarun Konduru Raju and ₹53.06 crore each on Sahil Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain, officials said.
A Customs officer familiar with the proceedings said the order sets out the department’s findings on the alleged gold movement and the roles attributed to those involved.
“The adjudication order has been issued after examining the available evidence and records collected during the investigation. The penalty has been determined under the provisions of the Customs Act based on the findings recorded in the order,” the officer said.
The Customs investigation relates to alleged smuggling between March 7, 2024, and February 18, 2025. Investigators have alleged that about 113 kg of gold was brought into India from Dubai through a network involving Rao and the other accused.
Rao was intercepted by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3, 2025, after arriving from Dubai. Officials recovered 14.213 kg of concealed foreign origin gold valued at about ₹12.56 crore, according to the investigation records cited in the case.
{{/usCountry}}Rao was intercepted by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3, 2025, after arriving from Dubai. Officials recovered 14.213 kg of concealed foreign origin gold valued at about ₹12.56 crore, according to the investigation records cited in the case.
{{/usCountry}}A search of her residence later led to the seizure of ₹2.67 crore in unaccounted cash and gold jewellery valued at about ₹2.06 crore, according to the Enforcement Directorate.
The investigation then examined Rao’s alleged links with Raju, Sahil and Bharat, as well as the movement of gold and money attributed to the network.
The Customs officer said the financial penalty proceedings are distinct from the criminal case. “The Customs proceedings concern the alleged violations under the Customs Act. The order records the findings of the adjudication proceedings and determines the penalty liability of the persons concerned. The accused have legal remedies available against the order,” the officer said.
The latest order follows a September 2025 penalty notice issued by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, which reportedly sought ₹102 crore from Rao over the alleged smuggling.
Rao was arrested in March 2025 after the airport interception and later obtained statutory bail in the Customs case. She remained in custody under preventive detention proceedings under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974.
The Supreme Court upheld the preventive detention order in April 2026. Rao completed the one year detention period and was released from Bengaluru Central Prison on April 22.
The Customs adjudication is separate from the preventive detention proceedings and the criminal case.
“The order has been passed after considering the material available before the adjudicating authority. The parties concerned can pursue the remedies available to them under law,” the officer said.
The findings and allegations recorded in the adjudication order remain open to the legal remedies available to the accused.