Ranya Rao

Harshavardhini Ranya (born 28 May 1993), known professionally as Ranya Rao, is an Indian former actress and model, who appeared in Kannada films. She made her debut with the 2014 Kannada film, Maanikya. In 2025, she was convicted and was sentenced a year's imprisonment in the gold smuggling case under the charges of COFEPOSA. She was set to be released on bail after a year on 23 April 2026.

Early life Harshavardhini Ranya was born on 28 May 1993. She originally hails from the Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka, India. After completing her schooling in Bangalore, Rao pursued acting with accreditation in acting.

Career Rao was first signed by actor and director Sudeepa in April 2014 for his directorial Kannada film, Maanikya. She was cast as Manasa in a supporting role, portraying a girl belonging to a rich Indian family and Sudeep's love interest. Her performance received mixed reviews from critics. A. Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express wrote, "Both Ranya and Varalaxmi play their parts well but fail to impress."

In June 2015, Rao signed her second film and first Tamil film, Wagah She was cast opposite Vikram Prabhu, her first as a female lead. In her first release of 2017, a comedy Pataki, in Kannada, she played a journalist Sangeetha, the love interest of a police officer played by Ganesh.

2025 gold-smuggling case On 3 March 2025, Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of Karnataka’s Director General of Police, K. Ramachandra Rao, was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

Rao was intercepted at Bengaluru airport after arriving on Emirates flight EK 566 from Dubai. While attempting to pass through the green channel at the airport, the actor claimed that she was not carrying any dutiable goods, gold, or contraband, but a metal detector alerted officers to concealed items. Upon inspection, Rao was found to have wrapped 14.2 kg of 24-karat gold around her waist and calves, with additional pieces hidden in her shoes and pockets. The gold was valued at over ₹12.56 crore.

The DRI had been monitoring her due to her frequent travels, including 27 trips to Dubai in six months prior to her arrest. She initially claimed these trips were for business and photography purposes. The DRI revealed that the gold smuggling operation involved a larger syndicate and that Rao had received assistance from a State Protocol Officer, who was also part of the racket. Rao was apprehended just before exiting the airport. According to DRI officials, Ranya Rao made 52 trips to Dubai between 2023 and March 2025.

She was sent to Bangalore Central Prison for 14 days of judicial custody under the 1962 Customs Act. During questioning, Rao admitted to smuggling gold for the first time. She collected the gold at Dubai Airport from an unidentified man in a white gown, concealed it on her body using adhesive tape, and hid some in her shoes and pockets. Rao confessed to using YouTube videos to plan the smuggling.

She was lodged at the Bengaluru Central Prison along with two others, Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain, who have also been booked under the COFEPOSA Act. The DRI also imposed a fine of ₹ 102 crore on Rao and the co-accused after they were sentenced in the gold smuggling racket. After finishing her sentence, she was set to be released on bail after a year on 23 April 2026.

Filmography +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released Year Film Language RoleNotes 2014 Maanikya Kannada Manasa Debut movie, credited as Ranya 2016 Wagah Tamil Khanum/Kajal 2017 Pataki Kannada Sangeetha