Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: Actor alleges torture in custody; was 'slapped 10-15 times'

Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: The Kannada actor alleged that from the moment she was apprehended, she was subjected to physical abuse.

In a fresh development from the gold smuggling case at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, Kannada actor Ranya Rao has now alleged that she was subjected to torture during policy custody, saying she was slapped multiple times and denied food.

Kannada actress Ranya Rao was arrested from the Kempagowda International Airport on March 3 with 14 kgs of gold bars. (File Image)

She also claimed that the case had been falsely pinned on her, a news agency PTI report said.

The development comes just a day after a Bengaluru Special Court for Economic Offences rejected the actor's bail application in the gold smuggling case.

The agency argued before the court that granting bail to the actor could hinder the ongoing probe and potentially result in evidence or witness tampering.

Ranya Rao, 34, was arrested on March 3 upon her arrival from Dubai at the Kempegowda airport in Bengaluru with 14 kgs of gold bars worth ₹12.56 crores.

However, the actor alleged that she was wrongly accused of carrying that amount of gold upon her return from Dubai. "Your officers did not permit me to explain that I am innocent in this matter," she added.

‘Physically assaulted, slapped 10-15 times’

As per Ranya Rao's allegations, she was also reportedly forced to sign blank papers by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

In a letter addressed to the Additional Director General of the DRI in Bengaluru on March 6, Ranya said she was physically assaulted and slapped 10 to 15 times by officers. “Despite repeated hitting and slapping, I refused to sign the statement they prepared,” she mentioned.

Rao further stated that under serious pressure and assault, she forcefully had to sign 50-60 typed pages and around 40 blank white pages given by the DRI officials.

Notably, the Kannada actor's image with dark patches under her eyes had gone viral just days after her arrest.

Additionally, Ranya Rao alleged that a DRI official threatened to expose her father's identity if she did not cooperate. "One of the officers told me, 'If you don’t sign, we will expose your father’s name and identity, even though we know he is not involved," the model-actor claimed.

Notably, Rao is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, who is currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

On March 11, the Karnataka government also ordered a probe into Ranya Rao's stepfather, appointing Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to probe his role in the alleged gold smuggling activity of the Kannada actor.

She also reportedly said that intentionally the officials denied her sleep and food when she was detained, between 6:45 pm on March 3 and 7:50 pm on March 4.

Rao also questioned the basis for the case against, claiming that no gold was recovered from her. She also alleged that some individuals posed as officers from Delhi and falsely framed her to protect other persons in the case.

Earlier as well, the actor alleged mistreatment at the hands of DRI officials during detention, saying that they verbally abused her when she hesitated to respond to certain questions. She also accused them of coercing her into signing documents without proper consent.

However, the DRI had denied these allegations and asserted that all the procedures were conducted as per the law and with respect.

In contrary, the actor had earlier also told the court that she was not assaulted by the DRI. "They did not hit me, but they verbally abused me badly," she had said.

According to the DRI, other than gold seized from her at the airport, they also recovered gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore from Ranya Rao's residence.

It is notable that the Congress-led state government also ordered a CID investigation into the alleged lapses and dereliction of duty of police officers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.