Senior Karnataka cop questioned in actor Ranya Rao’s gold smuggling case

The Karnataka government’s probe into the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao has now extended to her stepfather, Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-rank officer. Investigators are examining allegations that he misused his position to facilitate the operation.

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A special team led by IAS officer Gaurav Gupta recorded Ramachandra Rao’s statement as part of the ongoing inquiry. The probe is moving swiftly, with a final report expected within two days. The government had earlier directed investigators to complete their findings within a week.

Rao, who serves as Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, was sent on compulsory leave on March 15 after his name surfaced in the case. A State Police Protocol Officer allegedly informed investigators that he had acted under Rao’s instructions to assist Ranya Rao at the airport.

Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru Airport on March 3 with 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore, smuggled from Dubai. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has uncovered a sophisticated network involving hawala transactions and security protocol misuse to bypass checks.

Though Ramachandra Rao distanced himself from the case, past controversies haunt him, including a 2014 hawala scandal and an alleged fake encounter case, both of which had drawn CID scrutiny. His involvement in the smuggling case remains under investigation.