The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a charge sheet in the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Harshavardini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, before a special PMLA court in Bengaluru. The charge sheet, filed by the Headquarters Investigation Unit-II (HIU-II) in New Delhi, pertains to a large-scale gold smuggling and money laundering operation. The investigation uncovered a structured process of gold procurement abroad, illegal importation into India, cash-based disposal, and subsequent money laundering through hawala and banking channels.
The ED’s probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) revealed that around 127.287 kg of gold worth approximately Rs 102.55 crore was smuggled into India between March 2024 and March 2025. The smuggled gold was sold in the domestic market through a network of handlers and jewellers, with the proceeds laundered through hawala channels both in India and abroad. These illicit funds were further disguised through multiple bank transactions to appear as legitimate business dealings.
Search operations conducted under PMLA on May 21 and 22, 2025, at 16 locations in Karnataka led to the seizure of incriminating documents, digital devices, Indian and foreign currency. Additionally, immovable properties valued at Rs 34.12 crore, held in the name of Harshavardini Ranya, were provisionally attached under PMLA. The ED’s investigation was initiated based on an FIR filed by the CBI, New Delhi, under relevant laws, following a complaint by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Ranya Rao, the accused, is currently in custody at the Bengaluru Central Prison. Furthermore, DGP K. Ramachandra Rao, Ranya Rao’s stepfather, was suspended after a video surfaced in January showing him engaging in inappropriate behavior with a woman at his office, amid allegations of misconduct.
