BENGALURU: With the gold smuggling racket involving Sandalwood actor Ranya Rao getting murkier by the day as three central investigation agencies keep digging deeper, the state govt on Saturday ordered senior IPS officer and director general of police (Karnataka Police Housing Corporation) K Ramachandra Rao to go on ‘compulsory leave’.
The spotlight fell on Ramachandra after his daughter Ranya was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3 when she was trying to smuggle in 14.2 kg of gold from Dubai.
Ranya was reportedly being escorted by a police constable deployed for protocol services extended to IPS officers when she was intercepted by DRI sleuths. The constable, during questioning, revealed that there were standing instructions to receive Ranya whenever she returned from her foreign trips and that he had no idea of gold being smuggled in.
Sources said the state govt directed Ramachandra to go on leave in a bid to avoid any possible embarrassment with CBI and ED now on the case, citing national security concerns. Ramachandra is likely to be summoned by the central agencies for questioning next week, sources added.

Ranya’s dad Ramachandra was top contender for DG-IGP post

Interestingly, he was one of the top contenders, favoured by the state home department’s senior officials, for the DG-IGP’s position – the top post in state police.
Meanwhile, Ranya has written to the DRI additional director-general, through the chief superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison, ruling out her father’s alleged involvement in the gold smuggling case, and claimed she was being falsely implicated.
The five-page letter dated March 6 stated: “I was apprehended from inside the aircraft and arrested without being given an opportunity to explain [myself]. From the time of my apprehension to being produced in court, I was hit and slapped on the face at least 10-15 times by officials whom I can identify. One of them said if I didn’t sign documents prepared by them, they would expose my father’s name and identity, in spite of knowing he was not involved.”
Ranya further said in the letter that owing to immense pressure and physical assault, she had to sign 50-60 typed pages and around 40 blank pages, and no mahazar was ever conducted, unlike what was claimed.
“Some persons from Delhi, said to be officers, clearly wanted to shield other passengers and falsely implicated me,” her letter said.