Ranya Rao claims innocence, says she was ‘trapped’ in gold smuggling case
Rao broke down during questioning by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), and stuck to claiming that she was ‘innocent’.
Kannada actor Ranya Rao denied being a part of a gold smuggling racket during questioning by the cops. Instead, she has reportedly claimed that she was ‘trapped’.
According to a report by India Today, Rao broke down during questioning by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), and stuck to claiming that she was ‘innocent’.
This comes after she earlier told her lawyers that she couldn't sleep and keeps thinking ‘why did I get into it’.
“I keep thinking why did I get into it. My mind keeps going back to the day at the airport. I cannot sleep. I am having mental trauma,” she told her lawyers amid tears,” she told her lawyers while being produced in court on Friday.
The latest claim contradicts the actor’s official statement to DRI in which she admitted about being caught with 17 gold bars. The statement also stated that she travelled to not just Dubai but also to Europe, America and the Middle East.
According to the India Today report, the authorities want Rao to reveal who trapped her in smuggling if it was indeed what happened, and also the circumstances that led to her involvement.
The case seems to bear similarities to an incident in Chennai last year, where a Kerala-based software employee's wife was caught smuggling 12 kg of gold from Dubai. Investigations later revealed that she was blackmailed by a friend involved in gold smuggling. Authorities believe someone close to Ranya Rao might have pushed her into the act.
The Ranya Rao case
Ranya Rao was arrested on Monday at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport with gold bars worth ₹12 crore strapped to her body in a hidden belt.
She was remanded to DRI custody till March 10 and authorities also seized cash and jewellery worth crores from her house.
Rao is the stepdaughter of senior Karnataka IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao. He has distanced himself from Rao, saying that he has no idea what she has been up to since she lives with her husband Jatin Hukkeri.
On the other hand, the CBI has registered a case against international drug smugglers and launched its investigation.
