Kannada actor Ranya Rao has reversed her previous statement. According to a recent report by India Today, she has submitted a letter to the Additional Director General of the DRI, asserting her innocence in the gold smuggling case. This comes after she confessed to the crime just last week.

Ranya Rao alleges assault by DRI officers

According to the letter, she was taken into custody directly from the airplane two weeks ago. She reported that, despite enduring multiple assaults, she resisted signing the statements created by the DRI officers. Nevertheless, the actress asserted that, due to significant pressure, she was eventually coerced into signing approximately 50 to 60 typed pages, in addition to 40 blank sheets. HT has not been able to independently verify the contents of the letter.

"From the time of my arrest until my court appearance, I was subjected to physical assaults, receiving 10 to 15 slaps from officers whom I can identify. Despite these repeated attacks, I maintained my refusal to sign the statements they had prepared," Ranya stated.

"Under extreme pressure and physical violence, I was compelled to sign 50 to 60 typed pages along with about 40 blank pages that the DRI officers had prepared," she further explained.

What is the case?

On March 3, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) apprehended Ranya Rao at Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 14 kilograms of gold from Dubai.

Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of Ramachandra Rao, a senior IPS officer who is presently the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

The police officer has refuted any connections to her purported illegal actions.

Who is Ranya Rao?

Ranya, hailing from Chikmagalur, Karnataka, pursued her engineering studies at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru before embarking on a career in the film industry, as noted by the Times of India.

She made her acting debut in 2014 with the Kannada film *Maanikya*, which was directed by and featured Sudeep, where she took on the role of Manasa, a wealthy young woman and the love interest of the main character.

In 2016, she broadened her career by entering the Tamil film industry with the romantic drama *Wagah*, in which she starred alongside Vikram Prabhu. The subsequent year, she returned to Kannada cinema with the comedy *Pataki*, portraying Sangeetha, a journalist who is the love interest of Ganesh’s character.

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