Bengaluru gold smuggling case: Ranya Rao’s arrested associate played lead role in 2018 Telugu movie

“An actor from Telugu cinema has been identified as the arrested associate of the actress Ranya Rao,” sources associated with the case said. He was first sent to DRI custody for five days, followed by judicial custody from Thursday.

His arrest came six days after Rao was held at the Bengaluru International Airport while carrying a consignment of 14.2 kg of gold, worth Rs 12.56 crore, on her person after she arrived from Dubai on an Emirates flight.

Sources in the Karnataka Police department said he goes by the screen name of Virat Konduru in the Telugu industry. He is the grandson of a prominent businessman, with roots in Andhra Pradesh, who has diverse business interests in hospitality, energy, cable TV and education sectors.

Konduru played the lead role in the Telugu film ‘Parichayam’ which was released seven years ago, after which his film career appears to have fizzled out. In interviews ahead of the film’s release he had stated that he was passionate about cinema and his family had roots in Bengaluru.

Data extracted from a mobile phone and laptop seized from the actress revealed Konduru’s links to the smuggling racket, the DRI has indicated in court filings.

Konduru is reported to be a long-term associate of Rao. He has indicated during investigations that the two were business partners at a firm in the UAE. He has reportedly stated that Rao funded his travels on many occasions and that they attempted to source gold from Africa in the past. He is reported to have travelled to Dubai at the same time as Ranya in early March.

Ranya Rao alias Harshavardini Ranya is the stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer in Karnataka. She is alleged to have used the VIP channel available to her stepfather to smuggle the gold in the form of ingots strapped on her body with tape and crepe bandages. The actress is alleged to have travelled to Dubai 27 times in the last six months.

The seizure of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore from her on March 3 is one of the largest such seizures at the Bengaluru airport, the DRI said earlier.

“Ranya got into films after Class 12. She dropped out of a professional course to pursue her passion for films. After a couple of movies, she did not get many offers but continued to move in film circles. She wanted to make a big budget film where she would act as well,” said sources familiar with her family.

Rao’s social media timelines indicate that she was constantly re-posting messages of top actors and actresses from the Tamil film world until the end of 2023. She is reported to have obtained a Dubai Resident Card in November 2023. She married Bengaluru architect Jatin Hukkeri, 39, in November 2024.

The DRI investigations into the case suggest she was part of a syndicate and probably played a key role beyond that of a mule for carrying gold from Dubai to Bengaluru.