Kannada actor Ranya Rao claims physical assault and forced confession by DRI officers in gold smuggling case

Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was detained in connection with a gold smuggling case, has claimed that Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) personnel repeatedly slapped her, denied her food, and forced her to sign blank documents.

Ranya maintained her innocence in a letter to the Additional Director General of DRI, stating that she was implicated in a fabricated case.

The actress, the daughter of a senior police official, was taken into custody at Bengaluru airport with gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore fastened to her body in a concealed waistbelt.

Ranya wrote a letter via the chief superintendent of Parappana Agrahara prison, claiming she was detained on the airplane and that the DRI took her into custody without giving her a chance to defend herself.

She further asserted that despite numerous assaults, she refused to sign statements written by DRI personnel.

The actor claimed that under immense pressure, she was ultimately forced to sign about 50-60 typed pages and 40 blank white sheets.

"From the moment of my apprehension until I was presented in court, I was physically assaulted and slapped 10-15 times by officers whom I can identify. Despite repeated assaults, I refused to sign the statements they prepared," Ranya said.

"Under immense pressure and physical assault, I was forced to sign 50-60 typed pages and around 40 blank white pages prepared by the DRI officers," the letter stated.

An image of Ranya in detention, showing her under stress with heavy circles under her eyes, went viral a few days after her arrest.

Her bail in the smuggling case, which has taken many unexpected turns, was denied by a special Bengaluru court the day before the explosive letter was sent.

Ranya has been placed in 15 days of judicial custody after spending three days in DRI custody.

Additionally, Ranya claimed that a DRI officer threatened to reveal her father's identity if she did not comply. According to Ranya, her father had no involvement in the case.

She also said that throughout her detention from 6:45 pm on March 3 to 7:50 pm on March 4, she was deliberately denied food and sleep.

Ranya claimed that no gold was found on her and questioned the validity of the case against her.

She alleged that certain individuals from Delhi, posing as police personnel, falsely implicated her to protect other suspects in the case.

This is only one of the many inconsistencies in her statements to the DRI that have added intrigue to the case.

In her initial formal statement to the DRI on March 7, the actor admitted to smuggling and stated that 17 gold bars had been found in her possession.

Ranya claimed that DRI officials verbally abused her whenever she stopped responding to their questions. However, she later asserted that she had not been physically abused.

"They didn't hit me, but they verbally abused me badly. This has caused me severe mental distress," Ranya said.