When Emirates flight EK 566 from Dubai landed at Bengaluru Airport on 3 March at 6:30 pm, little did anyone realise that the femme fatale actress Ranya Rao, who disembarked from the flight, would expose how easy it was to breach airport security—thereby revealing the perfunctory manner in which multiple agencies discharged their security functions.

Acting on a tip-off, a special Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) team from Delhi had arrived two hours before her arrival on 3 March. She was caught off guard when DRI officers intercepted her, putting an end to her string of 27 visits to Dubai and travel to over 45 countries within a short span of time.

A physical search of Ranya Rao—the stepdaughter of K. Ramachandra Rao, the Director General of Police of Karnataka State Police Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited—revealed that she was carrying 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.5 crore on her person, along with a UAE Resident Identity Card. The actress had allegedly concealed the gold bars in her jeans, around her waist, and in her shoes, even taping them to her thighs using a medical bandage.

What continues to baffle DRI investigators is how she managed to evade the security checks at Dubai International Airport. Pre-screening is........

© News18