Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 26: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Saturday that he has not yet received the investigation report regarding the alleged misuse of the police department’s protocol by jailed actress Ranya Rao, who is embroiled in a gold smuggling case.
Ranya Rao, currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison, is the stepdaughter of senior IPS officer and Director General of Police (DGP) K. Ramachandra Rao. It has been alleged that Ranya Rao received a police escort from airport checkpoints to her residence following her arrivals from foreign destinations, especially Dubai.
In March, the state government appointed a special team led by a senior IAS officer to investigate the possible misuse of protocol by DGP Ramachandra Rao. Though the team has reportedly submitted its findings to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Home Minister Parameshwara said he is yet to review the report. He assured that appropriate action would be taken once the findings are examined.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court on Saturday dismissed the bail pleas of Ranya Rao and her co-accused, Tarun Raju. Justice Savanur Vishwajith Shetty headed the bench that delivered the order.
The Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) has been invoked against Rao, significantly reducing her chances of securing bail for at least one year. The same stringent law has also been applied to the co-accused, Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakaria Jain.
Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kilograms of gold valued at over ?12.56 crore. Investigations led by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have revealed that, with Jain’s assistance, she disposed of 49.6 kilograms of smuggled gold valued around ?40 crore and transferred approximately ?38.4 crore in hawala funds to Dubai.
Following the scandal, the Karnataka government placed DGP K. Ramachandra Rao on compulsory leave with immediate effect. He had been serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.
The state government had earlier ordered a probe against DGP Rao and sought a report within a week.