Bengaluru/Hassan (Karnataka), Oct 31 (IANS) Actress Ranya Rao, an accused in the gold smuggling case, visited the famous Hasanamba Temple in Karnataka’s Hassan district on Saturday, accompanied by her stepfather, retired Director General of Police K. Ramachandra Rao, and other family members.
Ranya Rao was reportedly allowed to arrive at the temple and have darshan through a protocol vehicle, with the facilities provided to her stepfather.
The move by the Hassan district administration to facilitate the visit has drawn questions and criticism from members of the public.
Ranya Rao arrived at the temple dressed in traditional attire along with her family members. She, however, declined to comment on her visit when approached by media personnel.
Meanwhile, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government over the protocol arrangements.
“Perhaps, in the view of the state government, Ranya Rao is a VIP. The Congress government may have considered her a VIP,” he said.
The protocol arrangements for the visit of Ranya Rao, who is facing allegations in the gold smuggling case, have triggered a political row, with questions being raised over the facilities extended to her during the temple visit.
With the opening of the famous Hasanamba Temple in Hassan on Thursday, thousands of people across the state are pouring in to take darshan. It has long been believed that the lamp inside the closed sanctum remains lit throughout the year, the flowers do not wither, the prasad remains fresh, and the food offerings placed there do not spoil. The temple opens once a year and darshan is allowed for a limited time.
Ranya Rao aka Harshavardhini Ranya was arrested in March 2025 in a high-profile Rs 102 crore-plus gold smuggling case. She was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) personnel on March 3, 2025, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru upon arriving from Dubai, where she was found carrying around 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars.
Investigations revealed she was part of an international syndicate that allegedly smuggled over 127 kg of gold into India, making multiple trips to Dubai.
Although she was granted statutory bail by a special court, the Central government invoked the stringent COFEPOSA Act (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act) for preventive detention, keeping her in Bengaluru Central Prison for a year.
–IANS
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