KARACHI: Indian actress Rania Rao, a well-known face in Kannada cinema has been slapped with a massive fine of ₹102 crore for allegedly smuggling 127 kilograms of gold.
According to foreign media, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) issued notices to Rania Rao and three other accused in connection with the smuggling of 324 kilograms of gold from Dubai. The total penalty imposed on all four amounts to ₹271 crore.
Rania Rao, who is also the daughter of senior IPS officer Director General of Police Chandra Rao has been named the prime accused. DRI officials said she alone is responsible for smuggling 127 kilograms of gold and must pay a penalty of ₹102 crore.
The notice does not specify a deadline for payment but instructs the accused to respond promptly. At present, Rania Rao and the other suspects remain in Bengaluru Central Jail,l. Though the actress has already challenged her arrest in the Indian High Court.
Rania Rao was arrested in March this year after DRI officers caught her red-handed at Bengaluru International Airport with 14.8 kilograms of gold, valued at around ₹12 crore, hidden in her luggage. The case later expanded after further investigations linked her to a much larger gold smuggling network.
