Amid rumours that two Karnataka ministers are linked to the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao, the Karnataka government has withdrawn its directive ordering a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the alleged misuse of protocol (official privileges) by police officers who allegedly escorted the accused out of the Bengaluru international airport.
The Home department has defended its decision to withdraw the CID probe citing “redundancy” due to the ongoing inquiry led by additional chief secretary Gaurav Gupta.
He has been tasked with examining the potential involvement of Ranya Rao's stepfather, K. Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-rank officer currently serving as the managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Meanwhile, head constable Basavaraj from the airport police station, who is being interrogated by the CBI, has reportedly said that he had received “oral orders” from senior IPS officers to “escort” Ranya Rao, who was apprehended by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths on March 3, at the Bengaluru airport with 14.2kg of gold worth Rs 12.86 crore. Subsequent raids on her posh Lavelle road residence in Bengaluru uncovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash.
The CBI probe has also revealed that Rao made at least 27 trips to Dubai and the United States in the past six months, which raise suspicion of her involvement in a larger international smuggling syndicate.
also read
- Did Ranya Rao call up Congress leaders after arrest? Politicians under radar in gold smuggling case
- Did Kannada actor Ranya Rao get into gold smuggling after marriage? Probe could extend to her husband
- Gold smuggling arrests in Malappuram: RTI activist flags contradictory data from Kerala police
- THE WEEK unravels the seamy underbelly of India's illicit gold economy
Rao who was produced before a special court for financial offences has been remanded to judicial custody until March 18. Also, the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru has reserved its decision on her bail plea (next hearing on March 14). Even as her counsel argued procedural lapses in her arrest, the DRI opposed the bail, citing the gravity of the charges and potential hindrance to the investigation.
Even as the BJP leaders demanded that the Congress government should reveal the names of the ministers allegedly linked to Rao and thus the smuggling racket, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar dismissed such claims, saying no minister would support such a crime. He also asked for the names of ministers and proof to link them to the crime.
The government choosing an IAS officer over the CID to probe a serious offence (misuse of airport protocol) and the role of a senior IPS officer in a crime that threatens national security, surely leaves the Siddaramaiah government with some tough questions to answer.
