Kannada actor Ranya Rao was arrested last week at Bengaluru airport. She was caught with 14 kilograms of gold, strapped to her waist and inside her calves. Ms Rao, whose stepfather is a top Karnataka cop, was arguing for bail in a special court dealing with economic offences. Her lawyer, Kiran Javali, said Ms Rao was not allowed to rest or sleep during this time. The ‘no sleep’ claim follows Ms Rao saying, on Monday, she had been \”verbally tortured and threatened\” while in custody. This was after images online showed her with swollen eyes and bruises on her face. Her stepfather, Ramachandra Rao, has denied any involvement in the crime, and said he was \”shocked and devastated\” by the news of his stepdaughter being arrested on smuggling charges. He said he had not maintained contact with Ms Rao since her marriage four months ago, and that he was unaware of her husband Jatin Hukkeri’s business dealings. Authorities believe she was part of a network and took hefty commissions – as much as Rs 5 lakh per kg – to smuggle gold from Dubai.