Days after the arrest of actor Ranya Rao from Bengaluru airport in connection with gold smuggling, the BJP alleged that the actor approached ministers in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government to wriggle out of trouble. State BJP chief BY Vijayendra stated that the alleged “blatant violation” of protocols, which reportedly allowed Ranya Rao to smuggle gold “could not have happened without the direct support of influential figures within the government.”

