Gold Smuggling Case: ED Raids Continue At Premises Linked To Parameshwara

BENGALURU: Two-day searches on educational institutions run by the family by Karnataka Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar by sleuths of Directorate of Enforcement, Delhi ended on Thursday and reacting to the verification/searches by ED, Parameshwar stated “Let ED officials come out with their investigation report before I can comment on it.”

In a chat with reporters in Bengaluru, when his attention was drawn to a press release by ED officials that institutions belonging to Parameshwar family paid Rs 40 lakh credit card bills of actress Ranya Rao an accused in gold smuggling case, the Home Minister said he was unaware of it and stated to “wait for the ED investigation to complete and they have to give us their report before I speak on it.”

It may be recalled here Ranya Rao, daughter of senior IPS officer Dr K. Ramachandra Rao, was successfully intercepted by sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport, Devanahalli close to Bengaluru city. She was caught smuggling gold bars of foreign origin weighing 14.2 kg valued at Rs 12.56 crore. The contraband was seized and the actress was booked under provisions of Customs Act, 1962.

ED sleuths conducted searches on Siddharth Institute of Technology in Tumakuru, Siddhartha Medical College in Tumakuru and Begur and Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education.

Parameshwar said upon learning about the Ed searches on the institutions, he asked his staff to cooperate with the ED sleuths and furnish records/documents sought by them. “I was told ED sleuths asked for records/documents of the institutions of the last 5 years,” he said and stated “ED sleuths have had access to records of the institutions.”

Stating he is a law abiding citizen, Parameshwar assured cooperation with ED sleuths after their findings on the searches conducted on his education institutions and stated “It is important to note what comes out of the searches/investigation by ED.”