Ranya Rao’s Firm Had Huge Land Grant: Congress’s Tit-For-Tat Allegation

Bengaluru:

Actor Ranya Rao, arrested for allegedly smuggling 14 kg gold at the Bengaluru airport, was the majority shareholder of a company that received a massive parcel of government land during the BJP rule in the state. The Congress has alleged that the allotment was facilitated by the BJP. 
The smuggling case acquired political overtones today as the BJP alleged the actor’s links with Congress leaders. The party alleged that since her arrest, she approached two ministers in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government to escape the legal net. 

The Congress allegations came shortly after. Leaders of the Congress alleged that under the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board allotted 12 acres of land to the firm in 2023 to set up a steel plant.

“She is one of the directors of some company and it had gone through legal channels. The land audit committee was there and cleared it. The final proceedings were done under the industry minister,” Mr Bommai told reporters, pointing out that at state level, single window agencies are not handled by the Chief Minister. 

“We do it in good faith. We want industry and it is about 100 km away from Bengaluru. And it is a backward area. To develop that area, we have formed an industrial estate… How can we know that some director in that company will do illegal activity,” he added.    

Ranya Rao is a director in Xiroda India Private Limited. The company was given 12 acres of government land in Shira Industrial Area near Tumkuru in 2023.

The approval was granted on January 2, 2023. Documents show that the land allotment was approved in the 137th State Level Single Window Clearance Committee (SLSWCC) meeting.

Murugesh Nirani, then Industries Minister, who was also the chairman of KIADB, said the allotment was made after a green light from the committee headed by the Industry Secretary. Thereafter, “30 senior officials discussed every aspect of this allotment and after this it was allotted”.

“In this process, no illegal work was done by me or the officials as the Industry Minister. No one was favoured. Whatever decision was taken, was according to the law. If anyone needs any clarification, I am ready for it,” he told reporters.

Regarding the BJP allegations that Ranya Rao contacted two ministers, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said, “Now this has been handed over to CBI. Let the CBI come out with their findings. Till then, this is speculation.”

The Arrest and After

Ranya Rao was arrested last Monday at the Bengaluru airport, while allegedly carrying 14 kg of gold. She had come under the lens of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence due to her frequent foreign trips. Within the last six months, she had made 27 trips to Dubai, and also the United States. 

A search of her home in Bengaluru’s Lavelle Road yielded gold jewelry worth Rs. 2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to Rs. 2.67 crore,” the DRI said.

The actor, stepdaughter of Indian Police Service officer Ramachandra Rao, was produced in court today.

She alleged that she was “verbally tortured and threatened” in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)’s custody and was “traumatised and emotionally broken”. 

She, however, ruled out physical torture amid speculation that surfaced after an image of her with swollen eyes and bruises was widely circulated on social media. 

The actor has been sent to judicial custody till March 24 but hearing on her bail application is scheduled for Tuesday.