Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: CBI probing 'role' of government servants

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the suspected role of government servants in the large-scale smuggling of gold from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India based on inputs shared by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which recently arrested Kannada actor Ranya Rao with allegedly smuggled gold.

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According to the FIR filed by the CBI, the DRI complaint gave details of two foreigners, an Omani and a UAE national, who were arrested at the Mumbai International Airport on March 6 while attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold, worth Rs 18.92 crore. They had arrived from Dubai.

The agency alleged that both the accused had visited the Mumbai airport several times earlier. In the complaint, the agency also gave details about an “Indian woman passenger” arriving from Dubai who was intercepted at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 when she was allegedly attempting to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore.

Ranya Rao was taken into custody. Gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and cash worth Rs 2.67 crore were seized during a search at her residence. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court has passed an ex-parte temporary injunction restraining 39 media houses from publishing, broadcasting, and circulating material derogatory to Director General of Police (Karnataka Police Housing Corporation Limited) K. Ramachandra Rao, who is Ranya Rao's stepfather. The temporary injunction granted by the High Court will remain in force till the next date of hearing of the petition. The petitioner argues that false and defamatory material affecting her reputation is being broadcast and published on various media platforms since the arrest of Ms Ranya.

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