Bengaluru: The gold smuggling case,in which Kannada actor Ranya Rao arrested took a different turn,as she accused the officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) of falsely implicating her in the case, and no gold bars were recovered from her as claimed by the DRI officials.Ranya Rao purportedly wrote a letter to the Additional Director of General of DRI through the Chief Superintendent of Parappana Agrahara prison on March 7 accusing DRI officials of physically assaulting her to sign typed and blank papers running several pages.”I am innocent (of the offence) and have been falsely implicated. No Mahazar as is being stated was ever done, nor anything recovered from me. Some persons from Delhi who stated to be officers clearly wanted to protect some other passengers and have falsely implicated me,” she said in the letter.
The actor, a stepdaughter of a senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested by DRI officials at the Bengaluru International Airport while she was allegedly smuggling Rs 12 crore worth of gold bars from Dubai.Ranya alleged that she was physically assaulted, denied food and was forced to sign blank documents running several pages. “From the moment of my apprehension until I was presented in court, I was physically assaulted, slapped 10-15 times by officers who I can identify. Despite repeated assaults, I refused to sign the statements they prepared,” the actress said.”Under immense pressure and physical assault, I was forced to sign 50-60 typed pages and around 40 blank pages prepared by DRI officers,” she alleged.Ranya Rao also alleged that a DRI officer threatened to expose her father’s identity if she did not comply. She claimed her father was not involved in the case.Questioning the legitimacy of the case against her, Ranya claimed that no gold was recovered from her. The actor, who starred in three films, alleged that certain individuals from Delhi, posing as officers, falsely implicated her to shield other suspects in the case.Meanwhile, Ramachandra Rao was sent on compulsory leave by the Karnataka Government. A notification signed by Nagappa S Pareet, Under Secretary to Government, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms said, “Sri K V Sharath Chandra, IPS (KN-1997) Additional Director General of Police, Recruitment is placed in Concurrent Charge of Chairman and Managing Director, Karnataka State Police Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, Bengaluru with immediate effect and untill further orders, vice Dr K Ramachandra Rao, IPS, sent on compulsary leave.
