A widely-circulated image of Ranya Rao with swollen eyes and bruises have triggered speculation that the Kannada actor might have been assaulted during or after her arrest, with Karnataka State Commission for Women Chairperson Nagalakshmi Chaudhary saying a probe cannot be conducted until a formal complaint is filed.

Ms Rao, the stepdaughter of a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ramachandra Rao, was caught smuggling gold bars weighing 14.2 kg, worth Rs 14.56 crore, when she arrived from Dubai at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Monday night. She is currently in the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). 

Responding to the viral image of Ms Rao’s face with bruises, Ms Chaudhary condemned the alleged assault but said the commission cannot act till it receives a complaint.

“If she writes to the commissioner or sends a letter to me asking us to look into the matter, we will write to the concerned authorities to help her, support her, conduct a proper investigation, and submit a report. That’s all the commission can do. Since she has not asked or filed a complaint, I can’t comment further,” she said. 

“Whoever has committed the assault should not have done so. That’s for sure. No one should take the law into their hands. We must allow the investigation, and the law will take its own course. No one has the right to assault anybody, whether it’s a woman or anyone else, but I’m totally against that,” she added. 

Ranya Rao, who made her debut with the 2014 movie Maanikya, came under the radar of DRI officials after she made her fourth visit to Dubai in 15 days. It was earlier learnt that she made 27 trips to Dubai in the past year.

Sources said the actor used to wear some of the gold and conceal the rest in her clothing to avoid getting caught. 

After arresting Ms Rao, investigators raided her house and recovered gold jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore and cash worth Rs 2.67 crore. 

Mr Rao has denied involvement in the crime and said he was “shocked and devastated” by the news of his stepdaughter being arrested on smuggling charges. 

In a statement on Wednesday, the senior cop said there has been no “black mark” on his career and that he was not in touch with his step daughter since she got married four months ago. He also said he was unaware of her and her husband Jatin Hukkeri’s business dealings.

In a leaked statement, Ms Rao has revealed the details of her international trips to locations such as the Middle East, Dubai and some Western countries. She has admitted that 17 gold bars were found on her.