India, March 13 -- Actor Ranya Rao, arrested for smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs.12.56 crore, has claimed that this was her first attempt at gold smuggling.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) took her into custody after she was caught at Bengaluru airport with gold biscuits strapped to her body.

Rao, who is the stepdaughter of Karnataka DGP K Ramachandra Rao, told investigators that she was instructed by unknown callers to collect the gold from Dubai and deliver it to Bengaluru, India Today reported.

She said she had been receiving calls from foreign numbers for two weeks before the trip and was directed to pick up the gold at Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport.

During questioning, Rao provided conflicting statements about her ...