Kannada actress Ranya Rao's name has recently surfaced in the gold smuggling case, causing a stir in the political and industrial sector. After this, now Ranya Rao has come into the headlines once again. In fact, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIDB) has confirmed that 12 acres of industrial land was allotted by the previous BJP government in February 2023 to Kshiroda India Private Limited, a company associated with Ranya. This land was given to set up a steel plant in Sira Industrial Area of Tumkuru district, in which it was said to invest Rs 138 crore and 160 jobs.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently seized gold rods worth Rs 12.56 crore from Ranya Rao at Camemegowda International Airport. Subsequently, raids were conducted at his residence, from where gold jewelery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore cash was recovered. A total of Rs 17.29 crore property has been seized in this case, which has exposed a large organized gold smuggling network.
This matter is taking political form, because during the tenure of the BJP government, Kshiroda India was allotted industrial land. The Congress government has indicated an investigation into the matter. According to KIADB, the company was approved on 2 January 2023 by the 137th state level single window approval committee (SLSWCC).
Ranya Rao's family relationship makes this matter more controversial. She is the half -daughter of senior IPS officer Ramchandra Rao, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. Due to this, pressure has increased on the police and administration to conduct a fair investigation.
Ranya Rao's gold smuggling case is not just a criminal episode, but also with political and industrial disputes. Now it will be seen that in which direction the investigation of this matter goes and whether there is any relationship between the industrial project and gold smuggling.
