NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) advocate Madhu Rao on Tuesday informed a session court that Kannada actress Ranya Rao admitted to sending money through hawala. Rao told the court about the actress’s confession during the bail plea hearing.
Ranya Rao had approached the sessions court after a special court denied her bail on the basis of objections raised by the DRI.
The high-profile case revolves around allegations of gold smuggling through unauthorised channels.
The actress, daughter of DGP-ranked officer Ramachandra Rao, was intercepted by DRI officials last week at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). She was allegedly found carrying 14.2 kg of gold strapped to her body while being escorted by a constable out of the airport’s arrival terminal.
When questioned about an inquiry report by additional chief secretary Gaurav Gupta regarding the case, the Karnataka home minister said he was unaware of its status and unsure whether an interim report had been submitted to the chief minister. “We don’t discuss with him (Gupta) on a day-to-day basis regarding the probe. He was given a week’s time, and once the report is submitted, we will get to know,” he said.
The Karnataka government has appointed Gupta to investigate the possible involvement of Ramachandra Rao in the alleged gold smuggling operation linked to his stepdaughter, Ranya Rao.
