Karnataka govt withdraws CID probe into Ranya Rao case

The Karnataka government has withdrawn the police involvement in the probe into the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case. The state police's Criminal Investigation Department or CID was initially tasked with investigating protocol violations at the Bengaluru International Airport. The Home Department has now revoked the probe order. The government move comes two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the 14-kg gold smuggling case.A subsequent order withdrawing the CID probe said that Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta is already probing the possible role of Ranya's stepfather, K Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-rank officer, in the case. Rao is currently serving the Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Arrested on March 3 at the Bengaluru international airport with 14 kgs of gold, Ranya has been sent to jail custody for 14 days after questioning by the state police. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, DRI, which is also investigating the smuggling case, said that huge money was arranged and transferred through hawala and they are investigating that channel. "It shows that a syndicate was operating," the DRI said and also claimed that the smuggling was going on with the help of the state Protocol Officer. Ranya Rao had come under the lens of the DRI due to her frequent foreign trips. Within the last six months, she had made 27 trips to Dubai, and also the United States. Following her arrest, a search of her home in Bengaluru's Lavelle Road yielded gold jewellery worth Rs. 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs. 2.67 crore," the DRI said.

(State Correspondent)