THE KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT has launched an investigation to probe whether police officer K Ramachandra Rao had any role in the alleged gold smuggling activity of his stepdaughter and Kannada actress Ranya Rao.
The chief minister's office said on Tuesday that additional chief secretary Gaurav Gupta has been appointed to head the investigation and a report will be submitted within a week.
The government also ordered a CID investigation into alleged lapses and dereliction of duty of police officers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.
Ramachandra Rao is the managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The police department has been directed to provide all necessary documents and assistance for the investigation.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized gold bars worth ₹125.6 million (£1.11m) from Ranya at Kempegowda International Airport here on March 3.
Following her arrest, a raid at Ranya’s apartment in Bengaluru led to the recovery of additional quantities of gold.
While DRI is probing the matter, the CBI too has joined the investigation.
Meanwhile, in the Karnataka assembly, the opposition leader from Bharatiya Janata Party, R Ashoka, had questioned police involvement in extending protocols to Ranya.
Home Minister G Parameshwara responded by saying, that failures on the part of the police department will be looked into.
Investigators suspect that she took advantage of her relationship with her stepfather to bypass scrutiny at customs.
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