The Karnataka high court Monday questioned why actor Ranya Rao, who is presently in judicial custody following her arrest in an alleged case of gold smuggling, was granted VIP protocol and police escort at the Bengaluru airport, which allegedly helped her evade security checks on the several alleged trips she took to Dubai for smuggling activities.
Justice S Vishwajith Shetty, who was hearing arguments on the bail application filed by the arrested actor, questioned the counsel of Rao, and the counsel for the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the prosecuting authority in the case, why Rao had access to such VIP protocol despite the general understanding that police escort is not extended to everyone.
The judge specifically asked Rao’s counsel, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, whether Rao was the step-daughter or adopted daughter of the Karnataka DGP Ramachandra Rao, and if she was a step-daughter, why she was granted a police escort.
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Justice Shetty emphasised that escort privileges are not given to all and questioned the justification for Rao’s eligibility for such VIP treatment at airports. “Is she (Rao) the step-daughter or adopted daughter? If she is step daughter, then why escort to her? Escort is not given to everyone, you also know,” Justice Shetty said.
The court’s query came in light of allegations by the DRI that Rao misused the VIP protocol extended to her under the instructions of her stepfather and the Karnataka Directorate General of Police (DGP) Ramachandra Rao. Chouta, in turn, acknowledged that VIP protocols and police escort were not extended often even to close relatives of VIPs.
He, however, urged the court to grant Rao bail saying that she had already been in jail for 48 days and that she was willing to cooperate with DRI’s probe in the case.
Rao was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on March 3 after DRI officials found her in possession of 14.2 kg of gold bars worth ₹12.5 crore, upon her arrival from Dubai.
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Besides Rao, the DRI also named her friend and Telegu actor Tarun Konduru Raju as an accused in the case. The central agency claimed that the two made over 20 trips to Dubai together between January and March this year alone. Officials suspect that overall Rao has made 56 trips to Dubai between 2023 and this year. It also said that before Rao was arrested at the airport, she claimed not having anything to declare at the green channel. Yet, when she was searched, gold bars worth over ₹12 crore were recovered from her.
While Rao has maintained that she has been falsely implicated in the case the DRI, refuted such allegation and opposed the actor’s bail plea.
The DRI’s counsel told the court on Monday that due process was followed in arresting the actor. “The person before whom the search was done was a customs officer. A lady officer was also present. After the recovery was made, we took her (Rao’s) first statement,” DRI said. It also claimed that after her arrest, Rao refused to cooperate with DRI’s probe.
The court has postponed the hearing of Rao’s bail plea on Tuesday.
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Rao moved the HC seeking bail last month after a special court for economic offences rejected her bail application.
Besides DRI, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have registered separate cases to probe any possible role government officials, including DGP Ramachandra Rao might have had, in facilitating the smuggling.
DGP Ramachandra Rao, who was serving as the chairperson and managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited at the time of the actor’s arrest, has been placed on compulsory leave by the Karnataka government.