On Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case, Agency Points To State Protocol Office
Actor Ranya Rao's gold smuggling racket involved a huge syndicate and she got through airports with the help of the State Protocol Officer who was also part of the racket, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence or DRI, which is also investigating the smuggling case, told a court today. The DRI, which was opposing the bail of the 33-tear-old -- who was arrested with 14 kg of gold in Bengaluru's Kempegowda airport on March 3 -- said that day, it was the State Protocol Officer who escorted her out of the airport. She was caught just a step or two before the exit. The agency said today that Ranya Rao had passed through the immigration and the Green Channel with the help of the State Protocol Office, and alleged the department was involved. "We (the DRI) had intercepted there once she passed the Green Channel. She had no intention of declaring what she was carrying," the DRI counsel added. "We have summoned the State Protocol Officer and received his state...