Karnataka government has ordered an investigation against the stepdaughter of the former senior police officer, Ramachandra Rao, in the gold smuggling case, where he was alleged to have played a role. The probe headed by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Gaurav Gupta will enquire whether the former DGP rank officer helped to enable or cover up the illegal operation. Police and authorities are also investigating allegations that the gold was smuggled by Ranya Rao, who, according to some reports, used official protocols and privileges to avoid some of the airport security checks.
On March 3, Ranya Rao was arrested by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (KRIAD) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAD) in Bengaluru. Accused of being smuggled from Dubai, she was caught carrying 14.8 kilograms of gold worth about ₹12.56 crore. Tip-off prompted officials to monitor her flight to the airport and arrest her upon arrival.
Authorities further investigated and then raided her Lavelle Road apartment where they also seized additional quantities of gold. Ranya Rao used her stepfather’s influence to skip customs checks. She was reported to have made four trips to Dubai in the space of just 15 days, allegations of her involvement in a larger smuggling network.
She was remanded to judicial custody till March 18 by a special court for financial offences after being produced on March 4. DRI had interrogated Rao for three days, which she claimed Ranya Rao had been verbally harassed by DRI officials during. The DRI rejected these claims, which say that all questioning took place in the company of legal counsel and that CCTV footage is available that would conclusively prove the record here was honest.
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