Ranya Rao has once again made headlines after the Customs Department imposed a penalty of Rs 89 crore on the Kannada actress in the gold smuggling case. The latest development has also brought attention to other Indian actors who have faced allegations, investigations or legal action linked to smuggling cases over the years.

From gold allegedly brought into India from Dubai to luxury cars linked to an alleged Bhutan smuggling network, several names from the Indian film industry have appeared in high-profile investigations. However, the legal status of these cases varies. Some celebrities were arrested or named as accused, while others were questioned or had their properties searched during an investigation.

7 Indian Stars Who Faced Smuggling Allegations And Cases

Here is a look at seven Indian stars who have faced smuggling-related allegations or cases.

1. Ranya Rao

Kannada actress Ranya Rao is at the centre of one of the most high-profile recent gold smuggling cases involving an Indian celebrity.

Rao was intercepted at Bengaluru airport on March 3, 2025, after arriving from Dubai. Officials recovered around 14.2 kg of foreign-marked gold from her, according to court records. She was subsequently arrested and faced proceedings under the Customs Act and the COFEPOSA law. The Supreme Court later upheld her preventive detention.

The Enforcement Directorate also filed a prosecution complaint against Rao, Telugu actor Tarun Konduru and alleged hawala operator Sahil Sakariya Jain in connection with the gold smuggling and money laundering investigation.

The ED said its investigation found that more than 127 kg of gold, valued at around Rs 102.55 crore, was allegedly smuggled into India between March 2024 and March 2025. 

In the latest development, Customs imposed a penalty of Rs 89 crore on Rao following its adjudication proceedings. The department said the investigation concerned an alleged network involving Rao and three others. 

2. Tarun Konduru aka Virat Konduru

Telugu actor Tarun Konduru, who is also known by his screen name Virat Konduru, was named as an accused in the same gold smuggling investigation involving Ranya Rao.

According to the DRI investigation cited in court proceedings, Konduru allegedly travelled to Dubai and was involved in the movement of gold connected to the case. He was arrested in March 2025.

The Indian Express reported that investigators were examining several Dubai trips made by Rao and Konduru and alleged that the actor helped collect gold in Dubai before it was brought into India. These remain allegations made during the investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate subsequently named Konduru in its prosecution complaint relating to alleged gold smuggling and money laundering. 

3. Dulquer Salmaan

Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan became linked to a different type of smuggling investigation in 2025.

Under Operation Numkhor, Customs began investigating an alleged network involved in bringing high-end second-hand vehicles into India through Bhutan. Several luxury cars connected to celebrities were seized during the investigation.

Dulquer's vehicles came under scrutiny, and his residence was searched. One of his Land Rover Defenders was seized by Customs. He later approached the Kerala High Court seeking its release.

Dulquer has maintained that he purchased his vehicles through legal channels and said he was unaware of any alleged illegal import or registration process. He was questioned by Customs for nearly seven hours in July 2026, with officials examining the ownership and purchase trail of the seized vehicles. The investigation was still ongoing in the latest reports.

4. Prithviraj Sukumaran

Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran was also linked to the Operation Numkhor investigation.

Customs officials searched his residence in Kochi while investigating vehicles allegedly brought into India through Bhutan. The Enforcement Directorate later carried out searches at properties connected to Prithviraj as part of a wider investigation into an alleged luxury-car smuggling racket and possible foreign exchange violations. 

Importantly, being subjected to a search during an investigation does not by itself establish criminal involvement. Reports about Prithviraj's connection to the case concern the investigation into vehicles and transactions.

5. Amith Chakkalackal

Malayalam actor Amith Chakkalackal was another film personality whose name emerged during Operation Numkhor.

Customs officials searched his premises as part of the investigation into luxury vehicles allegedly brought into Kerala through Bhutan. Reports said vehicles connected to him were examined during the probe. 

Chakkalackal later said that only one of the vehicles seized from his premises belonged to him and that he had documents relating to it.

His case is therefore another example where a celebrity's name appeared during a wider investigation rather than a case where a court has established that the actor personally carried out smuggling.

6. Bineesh Kodiyeri

Malayalam actor Bineesh Kodiyeri has also appeared in investigations connected to Kerala's gold smuggling case.

In 2020, the Enforcement Directorate questioned and later arrested Bineesh in a separate money-laundering investigation linked to alleged drug-related financial transactions. During the wider investigation, agencies also examined his alleged links with people accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case.

The Indian Express reported that Bineesh was questioned over alleged links to people arrested in the gold smuggling investigation and that investigators were examining whether his associates had helped some accused persons find shelter in Bengaluru. 

It is important to distinguish this from saying that Bineesh was convicted of gold smuggling. Reports at the time concerned an investigation into his alleged links with people connected to the case.

7. Mamta Kulkarni

Former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni was named as an accused in a major drug case involving the seizure of around 20 tonnes of ephedrine from a factory in Solapur in 2016.

The case was investigated as a suspected international drug-trafficking operation. Kulkarni was named alongside her then-partner Vicky Goswami in the FIR.

However, her legal status is particularly important. In July 2024, the Bombay High Court quashed the case against Kulkarni, saying there was insufficient evidence to continue the criminal proceedings against her. 

Therefore, Kulkarni should not be described as convicted or as someone proven to have participated in the drug operation. Her name appeared in the case, but the proceedings against her were subsequently quashed.

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What These Cases Show?

The cases involving Indian film personalities are not all the same. Ranya Rao and Tarun Konduru were accused in a major gold smuggling investigation, while Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Amith Chakkalackal came under scrutiny in the luxury-car investigation known as Operation Numkhor.

Bineesh Kodiyeri was questioned over alleged links to people connected to the Kerala gold smuggling investigation, while Mamta Kulkarni was named as an accused in a separate drug case that was later quashed by the Bombay High Court.

FAQs

1. Why was Ranya Rao arrested?

Ranya Rao was arrested after DRI officials intercepted her at Bengaluru airport in March 2025 and recovered around 14.2 kg of foreign-marked gold. She subsequently faced Customs, ED and preventive-detention proceedings. 

2. How much was Ranya Rao fined in the gold smuggling case?

The Customs Department imposed a penalty of Rs 89 crore on Ranya Rao in October 2026 following its adjudication proceedings. 

3. Is Dulquer Salmaan accused of smuggling luxury cars?

Dulquer Salmaan's vehicles were seized and he was questioned as part of Operation Numkhor, an investigation into an alleged luxury-vehicle smuggling network. He has maintained that he bought his vehicles legally and was unaware of any illegal import process.