Daijiworld Media Release
Bengaluru, Mar 10: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has urged a comprehensive investigation into the gold smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao, emphasizing the need to expose the entire network behind the crime. Addressing allegations regarding the 12-acre land allotment to a company where Rao was a director under the previous BJP government, Bommai clarified that the file never reached the Chief Minister’s office for approval.
Speaking to the media in New Delhi on Monday, Bommai explained that land in Shira Industrial Area was allocated to M/s Xiroda India Pvt. Ltd., where Ranya Rao was a director. However, he stated that the company never completed the payment process, meaning the land was not officially transferred. He further detailed that industrial land is allotted through a rigorous process, involving a Land Audit Committee consisting of senior officials, including the Principal Secretary. For projects under ?500 crore, decisions are taken at the ministerial level and do not require the Chief Minister’s approval. The Single Window Committee, led by the Industries Minister, grants approvals, following which a payment notice is issued to the applicant.
Bommai stressed that numerous applications for industrial land are received, and all allotments are made to boost economic development. He added that even the current government continues to allocate industrial land worth thousands of crores and pointed out that it is impossible to predict if an applicant will commit a crime in the future.
Ranya Rao, who was arrested at the Bengaluru International Airport last Monday for smuggling gold from Dubai, is currently under the custody of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), with the CBI also investigating the case. Reports have surfaced alleging that two ministers may be involved in the smuggling racket, prompting Bommai to demand a high-level probe.
“This is not an isolated case. There is a larger network operating behind this smuggling racket. Such a large-scale crime cannot happen without the involvement of influential individuals, including officials,” Bommai stated. He reiterated that a CBI inquiry is necessary to expose all those involved and ensure that the guilty are punished.
Meanwhile, Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil has announced that he will examine whether BJP politicians played any role in securing the 13-acre land allotment to Ranya Rao’s company. When asked about any political links to the case, Patil stated, “I will review the details and share the findings with the media by the evening.”
With both state and central agencies now probing the case, the controversy surrounding Ranya Rao’s land allotment and her alleged involvement in gold smuggling continues to escalate.