Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to revise security protocols at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) following the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case. The new directive states that family members and friends of senior bureaucrats will no longer receive security privileges from protocol staff.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Umashankar SR clarified that security will only be extended to officials on duty, and not their relatives. The move comes after Kannada actress Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of a senior police officer, was caught smuggling gold while allegedly misusing protocol privileges at Bengaluru airport.
Protocol Wing Under Scanner
The state police protocol came under scrutiny after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained Ranya Raoon charges of gold smuggling.
Sources revealed that protocol staff assigned to receive her at the airport were questioned but later released. The detained staffer stated that he had been instructed to receive the DGP’s daughter upon landing, unaware of the gold she was carrying.
Ranya Rao’s Confession
In her voluntary statement to the DRI, Ranya Rao admitted to possessing 17 gold bars, confirming that they were recovered from her waist belt.
“I was born and brought up in Bengaluru. I studied up to Class 12 and work as an artist in the film industry, a wildlife photographer, and a freelancer in real estate in Dubai. I am married to architect Jatin Hukkeri, and we reside on Lavelle Road,” she stated.
The incident has prompted strict policy changes, ensuring that security privileges are not misused for illegal activities.
