Bengaluru, March 6 -- Kannada film actor Ranya Rao was arrested for smuggling gold following months of surveillance by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the agency said in a statement on Wednesday even as her father, senior police officer K Ramachandra Rao said he was not "connected" to his stepdaughter's activities.

DRI was monitoring Rao's movements because she was frequently travelling overseas with her husband, Jatin Hukkeri, a well-known architect, despite no apparent professional or familial connections overseas, officials said.

Rao, who married Hukkeri in a high-profile wedding at Taj West End a few months ago, attracted suspicion after making four trips to Dubai within a span of 15 days. Officials from revenue intel...